My parents tell me that they used to be concerned for me as a small child because I was so trusting that I would run up to complete strangers with open arms and give them wholehearted hugs. I can only imagine, as I seem to have outgrown that personality trait, which I know to be best described as vulnerability.
First grade me (the oldest photo of me that I have digitally stored at the moment)
How wonderful it must have been to be so fearless and so open to others. What do I have now that I didn't have then? After all I must have had nothing to lose then, if I could afford to be so trusting. One might that now I have wisdom, but if that is how I define this thing inside of me that causes me to lose the childlike vulnerability that I once had, then the price is too high and I’d like to exchange this “wisdom” for love - or something like it.
I think we get so caught up in the darkness that is the world, that we somehow fail to perceive the light. Perhaps we have we forgotten that darkness is the absence of light. As a Christian, I am called to be a light in this world, and no amount of darkness should quell my flame. Light comes from and is a source of energy. Love is that energy and I cannot open myself up to give or receive it without vulnerability.
This is the beginning of my journey to reclaim that vulnerability, which is perhaps born of innocence and reborn of grace.
“Never Meet a Stranger” is a personal mission of mine. My goal is to eventually reach the point where I never meet a stranger; by this I mean that I will not cross paths with another person without acknowledging them. I will seize every moment and opportunity to establish connection, with the help of a smile and the powerful connectors of listening and storytelling.
I want to journal the experience to encourage like-minded behavior and share beautiful stories.
My challenge to myself today is to have made the first connection and share the first connection by this Wednesday.