Vulnerability

To be vulnerable requires trust, not just in others, but in ourselves. It is said that true intimacy can not happen without vulnerability, yet our vulnerableness is often something we guard the most. 
Being vulnerable requires one to first be honest with themself and then to be able to voice what we are feeling to another. It requires courage- we may not get the reponse we want or may not get a response at all.
But speaking from our heart allows an openess to the ability to face our fears head on. And once released, we no longer need to hold on to them ever again. It is scary at first, but a sense of freedom replaces the fear once the words are spoken or written.
And we are then one step closer to the initmacy that we long for.