The Power of Vulnerability

So, this TED talk by Brené Brown pretty much changed my life. I saw it about a year and a half ago. I just started her book Daring Greatly, so I am sure there will be more to come regarding this subject, but for now, enjoy! :)
Cheers!

A little inspiration...

I watch videos like these and I am so inspired. Their bravery and vision are amazing, not to mention their love for their countries and their determination to make the world a better place.

The first video is by Sakena Yacoobi. "Sakena Yacoobi is executive director of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), an Afghan women-led NGO she founded in 1995. After the Taliban closed girls’ schools in the 1990s, AIL supported 80 underground home schools for 3,000 girls in Afghanistan. Now, under Yacoobi’s leadership, AIL works at the grassroots level to empower women and bring education and health services to poor women and girls in rural and urban areas, serving hundreds of thousands of women and children a year through its training programs, Learning Centers, schools and clinics in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Yacoobi is the founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning, the Professor Sakena Yacoobi Private Hospital in Herat, the Professor Sakena Yacoobi Private High Schools in Kabul and the radio station Meraj in her hometown of Herat, Afghanistan." - TED

http://www.ted.com/talks/sakena_yacoobi_how_i_stopped_the_taliban_from_shutting_down_my_school?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education

The second video is by Meera Vijayann: “The first step to empowerment is to give yourself the authority, the key to independent will. And for women everywhere…that is the most difficult step. We fear the sound of our own voice, for it means admission. But it is this that gives us the power to change our own environment…Most of us would say that women are denied their rights, but the truth is often times women deny themselves these rights.”

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/meera_vijayann_find_your_voice_against_gender_violence?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=global-social%20issues#t-714714

 

"Meera Vijayann began using digital media to tackle sexual violence in the aftermath of a tragic Delhi rape-and-murder case. In 2013, she won the CNN IBN Citizen Journalist Award for her reporting in the aftermath of the Delhi rape case. Her articles and blogs have appeared in the Guardian, CNN, Forbes, Open Democracy, IBN LIVE, The New Indian Express and other major media outlets." - TED

What problems in the world were you created to solve?

#WhatHaveIDoneWithMyLife #CreatedToSolveAProblem

Review: Caught

Sometimes there are those songs that are just healing for your soul, and this has been one of them. Last weekend I was out on the Washington coast for a family reunion. I woke up early and went for a run around the neighborhood we were staying. I think it is one of the first times I just went out running without knowing where the heck I was going, as I had never visited the town before. I was willing to get lost. And reflecting on that now, I think that is metaphorically fitting. Anyway, my run eventually led me down to the beach, where I plopped myself down on a piece of driftwood and just sat and let the beach setting wash over me. And this song came on through my headphones. It hit me right then: this song spoke to me about where I was at. And it is funny because this song wasn't really offering me a solution. The healing came with the identification - I am not alone. I am not the only one who has felt like this. It was like a peace that everything will be okay. It might not be now, and that's okay, but it will be eventually...hopefully.


Song: Caught

Artist: Florence + The Machine

Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Year Released: 2015


You can listen to it online here.


Lyrics:


It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do
To try and keep from calling you
Well, can my dreams keep coming true?
How can they?
Cause when I sleep, I never dream of you

As if the dream of you, it sleeps too
But it never slips away
It just gains its strength and digs its hooks
To drag me through the day

And I'm caught
I forget all that I've been taught
I can't keep calm, I can't keep still
Pulled apart against my will

It's the hardest thing I've ever had to prove
You turn to salt as I turned around to look at you
Old friends have said, the books I've read
Say it's the thing to do
But it's hard to see it when you're in it
Cause I went blind for you

Then you leave my head, crawl out the bed
Subconscious solipsist
And for those hours deep in the dark
Perhaps you don't exist

And I'm caught
I forget all that I've been taught
I can't keep calm, I can't keep still
Pulled apart against my will

And I was thrashing on the line
Somewhere between
Desperate and divine
I can't keep calm, I can't keep still
Persephone will have her fill

And I'm caught
I forget all that I've been taught
I can't keep calm, I can't keep still
Pulled apart against my will

Review: Love Me Like You Do

Song: Love Me Like You Do

Artist: MAX & Madilyn Bailey (accompanied by Kurt Hugo Schneider, whom you can find on YouTube - you should check out his channel)

Year Released: 2015


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIvmlWVJQxE
Lyrics:

You're the light, you're the night

You're the color of my blood

You're the cure, you're the pain

You're the only thing I wanna touch

Never knew that it could mean so much, so much

You're the fear, I don't care

'Cause I've never been so high

Follow me through the dark

Let me take you past our satellites

You can see the world you brought to life, to life

So love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do

What are you waiting for?

Fading in, fading out

On the edge of paradise

Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I've got to find

Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire

I'll let you set the pace

'Cause I'm not thinking straight

My head's spinning around I can't see clear no more

What are you waiting for?

So, Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do

What are you waiting for?

And I'll let you set the pace

'Cause I'm not thinking straight

My head's spinning around I can't see clear no more

So, what are you waiting for?

So, love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do

What are you waiting for?

Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do

Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do

What are you waiting for?

Review: Photograph

Okay, so this song was brought to my attention by a dear friend. And after I watched the official music video, and after you have watched the official music video (if you haven't already), can we all agree that Ed Sheeran is effing adorable?! Besides just loving this song for the pure sake of loving it, I love how he describes why photographs are timeless and precious to us...because they take a moment in our history and make it stand still, so we can remember and let our senses be awakened again to that moment, reliving the stories behind that photograph.


Song: Photograph

Artist: Ed Sheeran

Album: x (Deluxe Edition)

Year Released: 2014



You can watch Photograph the official music video here.


Lyrics:


Loving can hurt
Loving can hurt sometimes
But it's the only thing that I know
When it gets hard
You know it can get hard sometimes
It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
Times forever frozen still

So you can keep me
Inside the pocket
Of your ripped jeans
Holdin' me closer
'Til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone
Wait for me to come home

Loving can heal
Loving can mend your soul
And it's the only thing that I know (know)
I swear it will get easier
Remember that with every piece of ya
And it's the only thing we take with us when we die

We keep this love in this photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Our hearts were never broken
Times forever frozen still

So you can keep me
Inside the pocket
Of your ripped jeans
Holdin' me closer
'Til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone

And if you hurt me
That's OK, baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go

Wait for me to come home [4x]

Oh you can fit me
Inside the necklace you got when you were 16
Next to your heartbeat
Where I should be
Keep it deep within your soul

And if you hurt me
Well, that's OK, baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go

When I'm away
I will remember how you kissed me
Under the lamppost
Back on 6th street
Hearing you whisper through the phone,
"Wait for me to come home."


There were some recent photographs that inspired me to take some liberty with the lyrics. Here are some of my favorite lyrics from the song.


"Loving...is the only thing that makes us feel alive. We keep this love in a photograph. We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, hearts are never broken, time's forever frozen still.

Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet. You won't ever be alone. Wait for me to come home. And if you hurt me that's okay, baby, only words bleed. Inside these pages, you just hold me, and I won't ever let you go.

Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul...I swear it will get easier, remember that with every piece of ya...

When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me under the [oning] back on [Bear Street]. [I should have] whispered in your ear, 'Wait for me to come back home./When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me [in front of Foyles on Charing Cross]. [And you whispered in my ear, 'Don't go back home.']"

The night Taylor Swift songs became applicable

"When it is all over...it's like a kaleidoscope of memories. It all comes back, but he never does. I think part of me knew the second I saw him that this would happen. It's not really anything he said, or anything he did. It was the feeling that came along with it. And the crazy thing is I don't know if I am ever going to feel that way again...but I don't know if I should..."


"I'm dancing on my own. I make the moves up as I go. And that's what they don't know...But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop grooving. It's like I got this music in my mind saying, 'It's gonna be alright.'...I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. I shake it off, I shake it off...And to the fella over there with the hella good hair, won't you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake."


"And for the first time what's past is past..."


"One look, dark room, meant just for you. Time moved too fast. You play it back: [blue from his] coat, lighthearted joke. No proof, not much, but you saw enough. Small talk...coffee at midnight. No proof, one touch, you felt enough...And for once you let go of your fears and your ghosts. One step, not much, but it said enough. You kiss on sidewalks..."


"I've been spending the last [several years] thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end, but on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again."


"Nice to meet you, where you been? I could show you incredible things: magic, madness, heaven, sin. Saw you there and I thought, 'Oh my God, look at that face! You look like my next mistake."


"You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye. And I got that red lip classic thing that you like...We never go out of style. You got that [full hair and button-down shirt]. And I got that good girl faith and a [bright red jumpsuit]...Take me home! Just take me home!"


"Looking at it now, last [September], we were built to fall apart...[My arms hanging from your neck], the night we couldn't quite forget, when we decided...[to dance]. Baby, like we stood a chance."


"He said, 'Let's get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds.' I thought heaven can't help me now. Nothing lasts forever, but this is gonna take me down! He's so tall and handsome as hell! [Is he] so bad? But he does it so well. I can see the end as it begins, my one condition is: Say you'll remember me standing in a [jumpsuit], staring at [you], babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks, say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams...His hands are in my hair...And his voice is a familiar sound, nothing lasts forever but this is getting good now. He's so tall and handsome as hell! He's so bad? But he does it so well. And when we've had our very last kiss, my last request it is: Say you'll remember me standing in a [red jumpsuit], staring at [you], babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks, say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams." Should I regret not being, "tangled up [with you]...all night, burning it down[?!] Someday when you leave me, I bet these memories follow you around."


"All you had to do was stay. [You] had me in the palm of your hand...You were all I wanted! But not like this...not like this..."


"Flashing lights and we took a wrong turn and we fell down a rabbit hole. You held on tight to me 'cause nothing's as it seems. I'm spinning out of control. Didn't they tell us don't rush into things? Didn't you flash your [blue] eyes at me? Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds? Didn't it all seem new and exciting? I felt your arms twisting around me...We found wonderland. You and I got lost in it. And [I] pretended it could last forever. We found wonderland. You and I got lost in it. And life was never worse but never better...Didn't they tell us don't rush into things? Didn't [I] flash [my] green eyes at [you]? Didn't you calm my fears with a Cheshire cat smile? Didn't it all seem new and exciting? I felt your arms twisting around me. It's all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind. But darling, we found wonderland. You and I got lost in it. And [I] pretended it could last forever...I reached for you but you were gone. I knew I had to go back home. You search the world for something else to make you feel like what we had, and in the end in wonderland we both went..."


"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street: faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly. Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall, like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all...Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you. Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song. Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer. Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong...Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes. Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go, but moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head in burning red...Losing him was blue like I'd never known. Missing him was dark grey all alone. Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met, but loving him was red. Loving him was red."


"Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in. And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will. Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again. And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone. In silent screams, in wildest dreams, I never dreamed of this. This love is good, this love is bad." Will, "this love [come] alive back from the dead?" "These hands had to let it go free. And [I hope] this love [comes] back to me." My fear is, "tossing, turning, [and struggling] through the night with someone new. And I could go on and on, on and on. Lantern burning, flickered in my mind for only you, but you're still gone, gone, gone." I've, "been losing grip, oh, sinking ships." Will, "you show up just in time?" "This love left a permanent mark. This love is glowing in the dark. These hands had to let it go free." Will, "this love came back to me?" "Your kiss, my cheek, [you] watched [me] leave. Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees. When you're young you just run, but [will] you come back to what you need...?"


"The more I think about it now, the less I know."


"I wish you knew that I'll never forget you as long as I live. And I wish you were right here, right now..."

Review: Which Witch

I am pretty much in love with this song off Florence's new album! And if you haven't yet, you really should just check out the whole album. It is pretty fantastic!


Personally, to me, this song is about the vulnerability of liking someone, specifically liking someone who will never return your affection. Sometimes you can put your own heart and emotions on trial for caring about a person, especially if the relationship doesn't progress to your own terms of success.



Song: Which Witch

Artist: Florence + The Machine

Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Year Released: 2015

You can listen to it here.

Lyrics:

And it's my whole heart
Weighed and measured inside
And it's an old scar
Trying to bleach it out
And it's my whole heart
Deemed and delivered a crime
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out

Who's a heretic now?
Am I making sense?
How can you make it stick?
Waiting 'til the beat comes out
Who's a heretic, child?
Can you make it stick, now?
And I'm on trial
Waiting 'til the beat comes out

I'm miles away, he's on my mind
I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
And I've had enough, it's obvious
And I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
Crawling all the way
Crawling all the way

I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dark since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget
[x2]

And it's my whole heart
While tried and tested, it's mine
And it's my whole heart
Trying to reach it out
And it's my whole heart
Burned but not buried this time
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out

I'm miles away, he's on my mind
I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
And I've had enough, it's obvious
And I'm getting tired of crawling all the way

 I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dark since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget
[x2]

Chained and shackled, oh
All unraveled, oh
It's a pity, oh
Never to return
But I never learn
It's a pity, oh
Chained and shackled, oh
All unraveled, oh
It's a pity, oh
Say I won't return
But I never learn
It's a pity, oh