Yes Day

Our lives are so filled with negatives that we often forget about the positives. We have convinced ourselves that bad news sells, and the good news is a side story at best. As parents, we love our children dearly, but we tend to skill them in the art of negativity. We think that we are more experienced and know what is in the best interest of our loved ones. We tend to forget that our children are fearless and innocent, and we are scared and guilty as charged. Returning to our car from shopping with my daughter, unexpectedly she said to me, “Daddy, it seems you always say no. Why don’t we create a day where you say yes”. I had never heard of such a day, but I told her that I thought it was a good idea to try. I do not remember my first “Yes” of the “Yes Day”, but I doubt that she was shy about the things that she wanted to happen. Yes, I do remember experimenting with “Yes Day”, but I am rather certain that the day didn’t last for long. She must have thought, “This must be heaven”, and I must have thought, “This must be wrong”. My little girl was 11 or 12 when she made such a challenging suggestion to me, and I shall never forget that day as we walked down the street together from the Sears store in San Francisco. No. I never succeeded in having a complete “Yes Day”, but my little Pam taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes, when my loved ones are thinking or expecting a “No”, I will surprise them with a “Yes” No, I do not say “Yes” as often as I would like, but “Yes” is on my tongue a little bit more. It’s simply because my little girl showed me nearly 30 years ago a little bit more of what we are living for. 07192007 PS Contest, Out Of The Box, Neumann