Saying Yes

    If I say ‘no’ to my dog when it lunges at someone I am considered a responsible pet owner. If a parent says ‘no’ to a child when their tiny hands reach towards the hot flame they are considered teachers and protectors. If I say ‘no’ to what has been asked of me it feels selfish and weakens me. When is ‘no’ responsible and wise?

    Today my soul needed to say ‘no.’ It wasn’t the teenage pouting angst that slams the bedroom door kind of ‘no.’ It was a ‘no’ that could easily have been a ‘yes’ with its invitation of unknown opportunities and possibilities. It was a ‘no’ that parted my road into two paths and imposed a choice. Perchance the problem with ‘no’ is that it shuts a door or draws a line in the sand. I was not saying ‘no.’ I was saying ‘yes’ to a different path. Is that the twisted labyrinth of ‘no’? It is more than semantics or a word game it is a quintessential ‘yes’ that causes you to navigate one way or another.

    I drew my breath in carefully and uttered the feared words. I said ‘Yes. I choose this.’ Honesty mesmerized my heart. Hope has never rung more true. I loosened the moorings and set sail down the chosen path, the ‘no’ that was a ‘yes.’