Practice Radical Vulnerability

Ruth Glendinning
2 min readDec 16, 2017

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The world feels unsafe as all the truths we’ve grown up with are rightly being scrutinized under the bright light afforded to us by technology. In such a time it may seem reasonable to ‘go to ground’ and play small, waiting it all out. However, I’m taking another path, that of radical vulnerability.

I learned a lot about vulnerability from my late husband. Keith didn’t have the luxury of hiding since he had a form of Muscular Dystrophy called Spinal Muscular Atrophy and was physically confined to a wheelchair. Since Keith had no illusion that his physical state would change, he embraced his vulnerability and chose to invest all his life force into expanding his mind, deepening his spirit and living his purpose. This is what people remember about Keith and is among his greatest lessons to me.

So, as the world churn out reasons to be fearful, I am committing to bring forward my own story of what’s next and continue to create the space for others to do the same. I am so grateful for Keith and for all the wonderful people in my life who continue to nurture and challenge me to practice radical vulnerability. It’s what is needed now.

In the words of Brene Brown:

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy — the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

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Ruth Glendinning

Community Architect // Published Poet // Future Story Lab // Anti-Fragile Playbook // S.L.O.W. Tech // #womenswork Buy my book! https://a.co/d/5MG47Di