Vulnerability is our currency.
There are plenty of professional organizations that require an admission fee in what I would presume in most cases to be received in U.S. Dollars. In this community, the cost of admission is your willingness to lead with vulnerability. I can think of no better way to capture my sentiments on the matter than to pull from Brené Brown, who said “vulnerability is not winning or losing; its having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
Mary Lou Kownacki said: “Engrave this upon your heart -- there isn't anyone you couldn't love once you heard their story.” This quote reminds us that we are, for better or for worse, not omniscient beings. We don’t always get to see the whole picture of who a person is. We lead with love here because you never, ever truly know where a person’s been, even if they’ve shared with you bits and pieces of their story. It’s like our dear Fred Rogers liked to say “it’s you I like, every part of you.”
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Our existence isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Aubrey Drake Graham (known in most households as Drake), once said, “last night, I got high as the expectations.” While I think his intent and the goals of this community may be a little misaligned, I’d like to borrow from Drake’s sentiment to say that we are not captive to the expectations of others here. This is a come as you are kind of gathering, and we get to make our own rules. How I operate, what I believe, and what I expect of myself, is never something that I get to inflict on another person. Plain and simple. Real community is built & thrives where people are able to be their whole selves.