Unlikely Dance Partners:

Resilience is defined as to contain what is necessary to recover from adversity, being able to adapt to challenges, and to choose to grow stronger through one’s difficult experiences.

One might consider an antonym of resilience to be vulnerability; as it is the willingness to expose one's emotions, choose to embrace the uncertainty that can stalk our everyday life and continue striving to show up authentically to give space for deeper connections and personal growth.

Resilience has so many forms and sprouts from various spaces but it, most definitely, comes to you through the pains of undesired ache and the very necessary embrace of vulnerability.

If we could map our hearts and plan our routes, our final destinations, our ways of being would flow much easier than the chaotic spirals we sometimes find ourselves traveling. Those spirals can roll around and around in what may seem to be an endless behavior cycle until we find the key to unlock the lesson.

So often, we long for a straight shot to the prize, but the journey is rarely that simple.

There are innumerable checkpoints along our paths of growth: some are breathtaking scenic mountain tops, while others are the very places where goodness truly begins to bloom. At the moment though, we may feel like we have been thrown to the bottom of a violent volcano.

It is in in the spaces between the perfection of the blooming bulbs along the path of patience, that the hiccups—those moments that knock us off our feet—reveal the buried treasures of resilience that have dig deeply into our roots.

Some might argue that incredibly vulnerable people are soft, weak, or even incapable; an unjust myth that brings unnecessary doubt, sometimes even to the very holders of those generous hearts.

Please hear me when I say, those who are most vulnerable, often carry the most resilience.

They emerge from spaces of empathy, seeing clearly into the intentions and spirits of others.

They make room for the flaws of imperfect beings, and in doing so, they prepare themselves to find the strength to forgive again and again, remaining kind and trustworthy in their pure intentions.

A person with a resilient heart knows that vulnerability is one of their greatest superpowers.

When you can stay open to dialogue with others—despite having no control over their reactions—you lean into finding resilience within yourself. You come to understand that this moment is not the end; it’s merely a covering of spiritual soil that allows struggle to grow into something beautiful.

In this awareness, you also cultivate patience, bridging the spaces between vulnerability and resilience.

While in times of turmoil, it is easy to forget the blessings of the many checkpoints you encounter along your path; Each one offers a lesson, and there is always wisdom to be gained from the letdowns.

Vulnerability and resilience dance hand in hand to the music of life’s mayhem, with patience playing along in a harmony that no immortal being could ever provide on their own.

Through actively choosing to embrace this dance, we discover that vulnerability and resilience are not at opposition but rather intertwined companions on our journey of growth.

Together, they enrich our lives, guiding us through the chaos and helping us emerge stronger, wiser, and more connected to ourselves and each other.