Despite our ostrich-like tendency to avoid this truth, we human beings are vulnerable creatures. We live out our brief but beautiful lives subject to both natural and manmade forces that test us and our communities, and no amount of pretending we are powerful in the face of evidence to the contrary — natural disasters and invasive species and greed — can change the fragility that lies at the center of our lives. What might happen if we learned to truly embrace our vulnerabilities and use them to enhance the time we get to spend together?