On the first day of the new year, I found a starving five year old insisting there was nothing to eat. I offered up all sorts of goods-even pancakes, but the only thing this kid wanted was waffles. I had the ingredients, and the waffle iron, but still I cringed for a moment at the extra effort it would take. You know, standing with my tea instead of ensconced in the corner of my couch writing.
And so, I decided to hop on the New Years bandwagon and choose myself a word for 2014. A word so desperately needed and lacking in my day to day vocabulary:
Yes.
Husband and children, I can hear you snickering! My reputation around here is to say No! No Way! Right away…and then sometimes, after thinking it over, I come around to a well maybe, ok. When did I become such a naysayer?
Anyway, I’m finding, in my limited experience of embracing the yes, that yes is more fun than no. I actually do enjoy taking a chance, stretching beyond edges, making my kid’s simple requests a reality. And I’ve been richly rewarded with:
Candlelit dinners
Hockey, hockey and more hockey.
And simple pleasures shared with my loves.
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What are you saying yes to this year?
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Starting the new year with Write Alm’s January prompts.
Love your word. Some years I really embraced “NO.” Cocooning and going in. Shutting people out. Not living out, but living in. I am saying YES to family. YES to new endeavours. YES to community and connection. YES to having faith and taking leaps of faith. YES to writing. YES to a life of my choosing. YES to risks and failures. YES to waffles 🙂
The “no” certainly has its place, but I’ll second all your yeses!
yes is seriously the best decision i ever made. there are times when the weary mama raises her head and the temptation to say no is STRONG but mostly, mostly it’s yes and it’s love and it’s you are my priority. may the force of the yes be with you!
Thanks Amanda! “It’s love and it’s you are my priority” Yes! Exactly what I want my people to know and feel-must learn to put that thought ahead of the autopilot no.
yes! i feel like many times when i say yes it is loaded with ‘you should feel guilty for me doing this for you’. trying to change that, non-begrudgingly.
Tricky indeed. I definitely felt that way about the hockey, but then, miraculously, it was fun!
Ah, I needed to read this. Can I hope “yes” will become as automatic as my “no’s” have?
I’m crossing my fingers!