This picture of Yoko Ono and John Lennon is a beautiful one to me, because it shows a man who is not afraid to be vulnerable. It’s one thing for women to be willing to be vulnerable, but in American society, it’s even more rare to find a man who is willing to be vulnerable to the point of being naked and taking the more “feminine” role of being seen as gentle. His love for his significant other is such that he is willing to literally be naked – not only with her but in front of a camera in a time where sex does not seem to be the objective.
How naked are you willing to be with those you love? It’s been said that everything is not for everybody, and that is certainly true. The question I ask, though, is how many people (if any) can you fully and completely let your hair down with? I mean people with whom you can and do share at least 99% of yourself and your stuff with. I’m very blessed to have a few of those people in my life. We have a closeness and an intimacy as sisters that allow us to be about as naked as John Lennon in this photo. It can be a very isolated space to feel that you don’t have anyone with whom you can share yourself authentically and completely. For a long time, I felt that way, which messed with my self-esteem (I didn’t think who I was would be acceptable if shared, thus I wasn’t worthy of love based on who I was). But it’s an absolutely beautiful thing to have people with whom I can really share myself and who love me and encourage me to open up and accept what I have to share.
So I encourage you to first find space to be able to be naked with yourself. You cannot be intimate and naked and open with anyone until you can do so with yourself. And once you begin doing this with yourself, take the time to cultivate your relationships and see who you can be open with. I’m fairly certain that there should be at least one person in your life with whom you can be open. :)
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