No. My Magical Word for 2017

No. My Magical Word for 2017

Readers, friends, writers, artists, As straightforward as I am, there’s so much more honesty and courage inside of me angling to get out.  Let 2017 be the year I pay even more attention to the tiniest of feelings – that whisper of “no” I often hear but override. Here are my Notes to Self for 2017. Just because “I can,” doesn’t mean “I should.” I’m tired of being nice. It’s exhausting, That’s not to say I’m not a good person – I am – but I’m more interested in getting better acquainted with my fierceness. “No” is my word for 2017. You can help me practice by asking me for things. If I say yes, cock your head and ask me one more time. If I say no, kiss me. Sometimes I say yes, and then an hour later I realize I meant no. Note to self: Don’t be afraid to change my mind. I’m not a flake, it’s just that my internal listening after 56-years of not listening so well is a little fuzzy. Every time I have the courage to have a difficult conversation with someone ten pounds are taken off my shoulders. It turns out that getting people mad at me doesn’t kill me. My propensity to be helpful often occurs because I’m uncomfortable being with people who are unhappy. They make me nervous. Like, unless I try and fix them they might kill me. Note to self: Let unhappy people be unhappy. Sadness is a path too. The big problem with my beautiful 21-year-old daughter and her lack of plans after graduation from college is me,...