Open

A few years ago, I was speaking at a conference for people who had experienced the loss of a child. At one point during the conference, I was looking out into the room and saw something that surprised me — and I've thought about it ever since: I saw 1,000 people who were pitied by the world in which they live. 1,000 people who no one would ever wish to trade places with. 1,000 people who many might view as "damaged goods"... But that's not what I saw. I saw 1,000 people who were open. Yes, open in a way which came about from something I would never wish on another person. But open nonetheless. This open quality felt like the exact thing so many in our world are looking for. The openness itself didn't feel like weakness. Or wounded-ness. It felt like wealth. Deep riches. It felt like access, to a treasure — a treasure that exists in each of us, but seems impossible to find, with no map to find it. And these people, through tragedy, had painfully stumbled upon it. Was it a coincidence…