Hasha V.
Photography by Ashley Kung
If you’re reading this, it’s okay to be vulnerable.
In that place of openness lies all the places where you find connection and community. Know that here you are safe and seen. Opening up is the scariest thing you can do even, but to open up is to allow yourself to be truly seen, to be truly recognized for all the beautiful bits that make you up.
Growing up in Gainesville I didn’t see the true worth of this city and immediately moved away for college then abroad. Four years ago I moved back to what had become a very different city. Both the city and I had grown and changed and we felt it difficult to reconcile. Many safe and reliable places I had known and felt comfortable in where now gone. A good friend recommended I tour the city like a tourist, like an individual who had never known it before. In doing so I found that my favorite places were now memories but I encountered new spaces and community in my yoga studio. In this place I began for the first time to explore the idea of being still and vulnerable. A practice I once considered unachievable or not for me. I realized it was much like many other things in life: scary till you do it. The scariest part of this new community was the vulnerability of placing myself into the unknown . But of course the individuals who make up our community are not born into this world perfect at any skill. They have been where you are and may be there again. They know that the scariest part of vulnerability is that little voice that says you won’t be heard or cared for. Know that what you are is worthy of being heard. You are inherently worthy. It is in your nature to be worthy. And in these unknown spaces you can find wide open spaces of growth and discovery. You can find individuals who hold you, lead you and pick you up for simply voicing how you really are doing.
You might mess up, make a mistake and in doing so you will learn your limitations. You might show vulnerability at the wrong time to the wrong people And that’s okay it takes practice! In this amazing space I got to share my vulnerability openly and in the most beautiful twist of fate I’ve found that many times those sitting in front of me are feeling the same, are experiencing the same challenges of human existence as I am. I’m here to tell you you are so brave for being vulnerable, you are inherently enough. You don’t need to earn taking up space or being recognized. It is who you are. Your vulnerability is your power and your gift.
I’m so proud of you. Everyday you wake up and try and I know it’s hard work. But when I think of you spending just a moment every day opening up, showing just a tiny piece of your beautiful soul to the world I am filled with so much pride. You make up the fabric of this community in ways you cannot even begin to understand. Your presence ripples through this city and I’m filled with joy that you are a part of it.
Hasha V., University of Florida
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