Poet and author David Whyte, one of my richest teachers shares his well-earned perspectives on vulnerability: “We’re living in a time where we each need a tremendous amount of courage — a fierce kind of attention and intentionality. The doorway is always through your vulnerability, the experience where you are open to the world whether you want to be or not. “I’ve come to consider vulnerability as a form of imaginative intelligence, and the good news is that it can be cultivated. The real challenge is the pain that comes with vulnerable living. When pain arises, it is tempting to say to yourself: ‘If this is the way that God is playing, no thanks, I’ll back up.’ Self-compassion is needed to understand this. During and after the season of pain, the question that comes up is: “Will I turn back to vulnerability, to living a wholehearted life?”