There is nothing more vulnerable than creativity. . . It's not about winning, it's not about losing, it's about showing up and being seen.

Who we are matters immeasurably more than what we know or who we want to be.

The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It's our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.

Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experience.

Spirituality emerged as a fundamental guidepost in Wholeheartedness. Not religiosity but the deeply held belief that we are inextricably connected to one another by a force greater than ourselves--a force grounded in love and compassion. For some of us that's God, for others it's nature, art, or even human soulfulness. I believe that owning our worthiness is the act of acknowledging that we are sacred. Perhaps embracing vulnerability and overcoming numbing is ultimately about the care and feeding of our spirits.

I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter. To be on that list, you have to love me for my strengths and struggles.

If you own this story you get to write the ending.