Just say yes. I’ve been thinking about “yes” a lot today. I’ve been listening to the longings of several artist friends this week. Ambivalence is easy for creative people. We imagine, we dream, but some creative people rarely say yes. They say “maybe,” or “I will when..,” or “as soon as I…”
My father was creative. He loved working with his hands. He was one two of the most skilled antique furniture refinishers I’ve yet to meet, and he was a master woodworker. He could take one look at an ornate piece of wood and recreate it within a day. His day job was working as a mechanical engineer. For years he dreamed of retiring and growing his part-time antique refinishing business into a full-time affair.
When my father was in his late fifties, he dreamed of retiring at sixty, and when he was sixty, he put off retirement until sixty-five. He never made it. He died suddenly at age sixty-one.
Life is short. The only guarantee we have is this moment. Be in it. Say, “Yes” to life. Say, “Yes” to doing what you love. Start today, in whatever small way. Say, “Yes” to whatever brings you more freedom and true joy. Say, “Yes” to what opens your heart and makes you come alive. Just say, “Yes!”
“The world begins with yes.” –Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds
Jen Johnson is a meditation teacher, photographer, and writer teaching meditation for healing and creativity. Learn more about working with Jen.