We had the honor of attending Christopher Lemark’s House of Vulnerability last month. The event was hosted at their coffee shop, Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health on Belmont in Chicago, IL. When I arrived, I was excitedly greeted by Drella :) Little did she know, (I am sorry for not warning you…) that I had spent a few occasions crying at this location. (I had previously attended women group therapy sessions, group therapy for entrepreneurs sessions and participated in The Yellow Walk which was a walk for suicide prevention and awareness.) Each time was challenging but in the best way rather than a deterrent. Whenever I enter their location, I am reminded that I am surrounded by like-minded folks who want to share and create safe space for community.
“House of Vulnerability” was an incredible, heart-felt, honest talk where Christopher told his story from the absolute beginning, to the birth of CHHAMH, to the birth of his son and to current day with musicality and rap peppered in. Along the way he shared triumphs and tribulations, seeing the silver lining along the way despite what was in front of him at that stage of his life. We are so thankful that we had the honor and opportunity to be on the receiving end of such a gift, such an example encompassing what being human is, being authentic, vulnerable and pushing through to the other side despite the risks.
House of Vulnerability takeaways by Lucid:
Angelique: “I was really moved by the vulnerability Christopher showed while telling his story. The journey of where he came from really plays into the mission of CHHAMH to this day. This encourages me to be more authentic and true to myself in all aspects of my life despite the risk of being seen and potentially hurt.”
Drella: “I took away the reminder to get out of my head and stop thinking so small. Christopher’s story proves that literally anything can happen if you set your mind to it. Taking the time to assess what you want and need and letting the universe know can manifest in triumph.”
According to Google, vulnerability “often means expressing the sides of yourself about which you have the least confidence or certainty, and allowing others to respond to them.”
Here are some ways you can practice being vulnerable:
Practice sharing your feelings or thoughts with those around you. Elevating and practicing communication skills can improve your relationships, at work or even at the rink.
Want to learn more about how to authentically relate to others? More info here.
We welcome you to ponder this question: What does being vulnerable mean to you?
Please take the chance to visit their website https://chhamh.org/ to familiarize yourself with their mission and subscribe to their mailing list and/or volunteer events
Follow them on IG to keep up with them on socials
Pay it forward via their coffee shop
Donate to their cause
Check out the Lucid Laces X CHHAMH bundle for sale where 100% proceeds go to their organization
Leave a comment if you feel so inclined and if not, stay tuned for more in depth conversations with the Lucid team!
Stay Lucid, skate fam!
This is the beginning of something special to myself and Drella. Our goal is to incorporate more meaningful conversations through our blog here at Lucid Laces in addition to providing the best roller skate laces. We’d like the offer more opportunities for you to get to know us and our current priorities. such as spreading the word of authentic relating and being more vulnerable with those closest to us in the hopes of starting a dialog around topics that mean the most to us with the goal of self love, self exploration, emotion regulation and the like. Think of this like a Lucid Lounge where you can come and get to know us, share your thoughts and experiences and make the skate community a little bit lighter and more open.