Yes, yes, yes!
“Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life?” Eric Allenbaugh, Executive coach, author of “Wake Up Calls: You Don’t Have to Sleepwalk Your Way Through Your Life, Your Love, or Career.”
A little framed needlepoint that said one word: “YES”, hung opposite the toilet. Dozens of teenaged boys in recovery from drugs and alcohol addictions studied it throughout the year they were guests of the “mom” whose apartment it was.
Each boy was a client in a youth drug rehabilitation center. Each called the “tough love”-trained host “Mom” and joined her each evening for dinner, discussions and sleep. One boy left the bathroom particularly confused. He said, “Mom, what does that mean, that ‘Yes’ on the wall?”
She smiled and replied, “It means ‘Yes’ to life.”
“Huh”? That evening’s four boys said, “huh?” What does THAT mean?
“What does “Yes” mean to you?,” their volunteer Mom asked as they settled into their seats around the kitchen table. Each boy, from 13 to 15, puzzled the meaning of the “Yes”. Finally, Tom, a bright punk rocker said, “Hey, I got it. It means saying yes to living right – like getting straight. Is that right, Mom?”
Skippy, a beach kid from Florida said, “I think it means wanting to really live it up. Right, Mom?”
Roy, who imagined himself a tough Brooklyn street kid, but in fact, was as sensitive as honeysuckle, said “Nah, it’s a head game. She just wants us to think about what we want after we get out of Starlight (false name). Izzat it, Mom?”
Mom smiled. “It means all of those things and more. But if you could say yes to one thing you want in life and that would help make it happen, what would you say “Yes” to?” And the evening rap session began. . .
Meditation for the Day
What is the most important “Yes” you have ever said? Were you glad? Were you sorry? In order to say yes to the best, you need to be prepared to say no to the merely convenient or the expedient.
Action for the Day
This week, I’ll give thought to the consequences of any “yes” I give and not give it only because it’s the easy or expedient path. Instead, I’ll consider this before I give my “yes”: Do I want to live with the consequences of my “yes”?
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