Navigating Life Transitions, the Power of Vulnerability
Life has a way of piling everything on at once, doesn’t it? This past month has been a blur of moving boxes, holiday chaos, and emotional highs and lows. Transitioning to a new home while preparing the old one for sale brought logistical challenges, but helping our kids adjust to a new routine was an emotional one. Add in the loss of my husband’s grandfather and a shift in holiday plans (cue booking last minute flights to Iowa and scrambling to figure out Christmas), and it felt like the world was testing our resilience.
Through it all, I found a moment of reprieve and renewal at a women’s wellness conference in the Bahamas. This experience reinforced two truths: vulnerability is a profound strength, and our dreams deserve space to grow. Sharing my parenting struggles with women who understood the challenges of juggling professional and personal demands was incredibly healing. I have a tendency to go inward when I’m struggling with something, and try to just do it myself. I have worries about burdening others with my own struggles when they have enough on their own. But I’ve been really struggling and experiencing a lot more stress in my relationship with one of my kids a lot more, and I hadn’t totally realized how much that has been weighing me down. When I started to open up and be vulnerable with other women (who were very kind, but the kind of stuff I was sharing was intense and my fear of being judged was intense), it was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I think it’s important to remember that they didn’t have a fix or a cure for what I am going through. There’s no 3 step plan or set of hacks that can make it all better. But being seen, heard, and understood, allowing myself to receive their compassion and care was incredibly healing. I cried, apologized, did all of it. But my point is, don’t overlook the power of vulnerability. It truly is the balm to help your heart and soul go through whatever you are going through with more support and peace.
The other lesson I carried home was the importance of honoring our deepest desires. So often, we dismiss our dreams as impractical or unrealistic. Yet, I’ve learned that these recurring thoughts and ideas are there for a reason. We don’t always pay much attention to them, sometimes we don’t even know what they are, and we definitely tend to let fear and self-doubt take root, which keeps us from taking any action at all. But what if we believed that our desires and dreams (big and small) are there to guide us toward something deeply meaningful? What if we believed that whatever is IN you is FOR you?
It takes courage to lean into the fears and doubts surrounding our dreams, but with small, consistent steps, the slow burn type of transformation that creates lasting change and shifts becomes possible. And THAT, my friend, is exciting and I believe is a very good argument for why we should give our dreams and desires the air time, the mental space that they deserve.
As we settle into the new year, I encourage you to reflect on a desire or dream you’ve set aside. Give it some attention, share it with someone you trust, and consider the first small step you can take. Vulnerability and dreams are powerful forces. Let’s embrace them as we move forward together.
