Reliability, Vulnerability, Fear
Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) starts tonight. When the "gates" close at sunset tomorrow a New Year will begin, contemplation (and repentance time) shoved to the back-burner for many.
Trying to remain mindful and careful year-round isn’t always easy—perhaps why three simple words seem to get growing attention: "reliability," "vulnerability," and "fear." They highlight problems many of us encounter daily. They also point to short-comings (our own as well as others’). Here are a few snapshots of how, told through acrostic poetry:
Reliability
Ready, willing, and able
Efficiency matters
Linked to what you do—or don’t
Impression stands for something
Actions too
But not everyone plays fair
Integrity matters, or so you’d hope
Letting things go
"I" counts more than "you," "he," "she," "they", or, "we"
Tales to tell
Yes, a slide in values, symptomatic of our times, but no excuse
Vulnerability
Very open
Unguarded
Lots to tell
Not always to the right people
Excitement and energy often misplaced
Reason and rationality lacking
Anxious, maybe as a result
Brave, but losing it
Irritated by consequences
Left out, regardless how much shared
Intimidated
Tense
Yearning
Fear
False impressions of what might be
Emotions taking over, justifiably and not
Ahhhhh! It wasn’t so bad after all
Relief, thinking about it is worse than actually doing it
