Opening up like that is tough. Being vulnerable runs the risk of getting hurt. Getting hurt enough can make anyone recede inside their shell and stay there. It takes crazy strength to keep an open heart. But the more it's done, the stronger the heart gets at being open.

I think it's important too to be soft. I mean being vulnerable is already tough enough, but being resist to pain at the same time makes it so much worse for me. So I try to make myself soft to whatever comes so I can accept it and handle it and myself with care.

I imagine being vulnerable is like the whac-a-mole game. Sometimes I pop my head up just to get smashed by the hammer. If I'm resistant then that hammer will hurt, but but if Im soft then it will bounce off or flow through me. I mean a hammer can smash stone, but it can't harm water, no matter how furious the swing.