Shaking Hands with Vulnerability

Often to reach the next step on our path, we need to openly share ourselves through the vulnerability. Whether we are sharing a new idea, working through something that is troubling us, walking through pain or illness, we often must experience elements of being vulnerable. With our animal companions, we can see when they need a helping hand or hear them asking for assistance on some level and we do not judge them in the process.

Only we, ourselves, tend to hold ourselves hostage to the fear. It can be a fear of rejection or of allowing others to see us walking through the uncomfortable space of not knowing how someone will respond to us or what we are sharing. We will often stay in this holding pattern.

The key is to work through it as quickly as possible. Reframing our vulnerability and taking back the power we are giving to the fear or anxiousness then becomes our greatest strength. By flipping this switch, we can step through the unknown, be seen for who we are, and stand strong in what we are sharing by which transforming the whole situation.

Our animal companions do their best to keep moving forward through changing eyesight, loss of hearing, diminishing muscle tone, shaky legs, or other challenges. They show us that shaking hands with our vulnerability can be our greatest strength when we are willing to take the steps necessary to keep moving forward.