“Story-guided Discussion for Finding Peace with Age-related Limitations”

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About Me

Why I Created "Opening Up" Interactive Newsletter

I'm the founder of cerebral-palsy-career-builders.com, the comprehensive career coaching guide for parents of youngsters with cerebral palsy who are 7 to 27 years old.

I own Hasse Communication Counseling, LLC, which provides champions of disability employment with Creative Commons content that they can freely and legally use, share and repurpose for non-commercial purposes only. See linkedin.com/in/vulnerability/

I've added one more wrinkle to my mission. As I approach my eightieth decade on Earth, I'm also working to help my fellow seniors realize they can continue to live well (and grow) as they experience personal vulnerability, perhaps for the first time, that usually increases with age.

That’s why I publish "Opening Up," which features a short story of fiction one week at a time about the insight elders gain as they learn to embrace limitations in their lives.

Through each week's short story, you'll meet some amusing characters (48 right now). That number is growing each month with new stories to tell. Each has an opportunity to look back on parts of their lives and recognize what they've learned about vulnerability through personal experience.

Again -- all fiction but based on issues I've faced with a lifelong disability that, now as an elder, I find often funny, sometimes stupid, but often revealing.

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What You Get with Your Subscription

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It's interactive, which means, after you absorb the week's short story and discussion question, you can post your thoughts -- and even share your own story on the same page and receive comments from your fellow readers -- all within a safe, private, secure space.

Let me paraphrase the main thoughts about opening up that I’ve gleaned from Brené Brown, The New York Times best selling author, who has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy:

We feel shame because we feel not worthy. When we feel not worthy, we have a problem connecting with people. The goal is to allow us to be seen as worthy of belonging. It takes courage to be imperfect. That courage gives us authenticity – the platform to be who we are. Vulnerability is the base for not only courage, openness and authenticity but also resiliency and empathy. It’s natural to struggle with vulnerability. We may fear opening up. We may try to numb vulnerability, and, in doing so, we numb happiness and become miserable. As a result, we seek certainty in our lives, and that thirst for certainty shows up in our politics and religion. The goal is not certainty but to simply feel, “I’m enough.”

In "Opening Up," I also tap the insights of Lynda Gratton, Chip Conley, Andrew J Scott, Barbara Waxman, Malidoma Somé, Marc Freedman, Ken Dychtwald, Ashton Applewhite, Louise Aronson, Dr. Bill Thomas, Dr. Laura Carstensen of Stanford Center on Longevity, and Richard Leider.

Here’s your unique online opportunity to engage in a virtual mutual mentorship with your stage-in-life counterparts for:

1. Opening new insights by reevaluating what is important and what is not.
2. Living a life of your own choosing.
3. Growing whole.
4. Letting go.
5. Making peace with limitations, which usually increase with age.

Sharing our stories about our vulnerability (opening up) is among the most important ways we connect with others in the later years of our lives.

As Brené Brown urges, “Write your own story … We move what we're learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands."

Stay up-to-date. You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of "Opening Up" goes directly to your email inbox.

Join the crew You’ll be part of a community of insightful individuals who are using "Opening Up" to make peace with vulnerability.

To find out more about the technical background for "Opening Up," visit Substack.com.

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Past "Opening Up" Discussions --- and What Is Yet to Come

Check these weekly snapshots of what subscribers to "Opening Up" have discussed since it first appeared in July 2022.

Note that, as a new subscriber to "Opening Up," you automatically get access to more than 36 past issues -- 36 short stories, their takeaway tips and their discussions.

Here are my favorites (some already published and some still coming):

My Three Favorite Headlines:

Story 11: Lisa’s Struggle with Being Both Invisible and Intense

Story 28: Boyd’s Fortunate Break Up

Story 46: Vi’s New Place in Life

My Three Favorite first paragraphs:

Story 6: "You're holding up traffic, lady!" a guy across the street yelled impatiently.

Story 12: 70-year-old Barb knows how it must feel to be healed -- almost

Story 31: It was Melva's big day because it was her granddaughter's wedding, but somehow the dance afterwards boiled down to the fact that she still did her own grocery shopping.

My Three Favorite Takeaway Tips:

Story 13: Pursue closure before it’s too late.

Story 19: Give others the opportunity to feel complete by accepting their help when needed.

Story 32: Remember what was good in the past with gratitude.

My Three Favorite Discussion Questions:

Story 4: When did you let go of something you cherished earlier in life?

Story 5: When did you consider something outrageous that now seems somewhat reasonable?

Story 23: How do you want to be perceived by others now that you’re a “mature adult?”

My Three Favorite Quotes about Vulnerability:

Story 25: "Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength." - Sigmund Freud

Story 32: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection.” - Brené Brown

Story 48: "People can be at their most vulnerable but still tenacious at the same time." - Toni Bernhard

Which of the above are your favorites?

Make the most of “Opening Up” by subscribing now.

Subscribe to "Opening Up" newsletter. It's interactive!

Subscribe to "Opening Up" newsletter. It's interactive!

About Me

Why I Created "Opening Up" Interactive Newsletter

What You Get with Your Subscription

Past "Opening Up" Discussions --- and What Is Yet to Come

Subscribe Now to "Opening Up" Interactive Newsletter

Contact Us

Drop me a line!

Hasse communication counseling, llc

Subscribe to "Opening Up" newsletter. It's interactive!

Subscribe to "Opening Up" newsletter. It's interactive!

About Me

Why I Created "Opening Up" Interactive Newsletter

What You Get with Your Subscription

Past "Opening Up" Discussions --- and What Is Yet to Come

Subscribe Now to "Opening Up" Interactive Newsletter

Contact Us

Drop me a line!

Hasse communication counseling, llc

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