Saying yes to everything

Last night I went to a CAJ get together. I didn’t want to, I really didn’t but like Diane said, it’s time to say yes to everything.

Well, everything that won’t get me permanently maimed or with an arrest record.

I left work and got on the subway to head home. I was thinking, “I don’t really want to go. I have to go to work early tomorrow.” Yet my instinct told me to go, so I went and I’m glad I did. I reconnected with friends, I touched base on the industry news (terrible), I met new people (excellent), made plans to meet up for doubles and got hear the plans people were making for the year (always motivating). I didn’t stay long, maybe a couple of hours and that’s when it hit me.

In a week, what’s an hour or two? We say we’re busy but really, how often are we booked solid every single hour of every single day of every single week? An hour to try something new is something that most of us can afford and if it doesn’t work out, it’s just an hour. That’s one less hour of Netflix and who knows, that hour could lead you on a new path to something great.

Or it could be an hour wasted but how would you know if you don’t take the time. Saying yes to new things is hard. We’ve all got our ruts and they’re comfortable. New things aren’t comfortable and if you’re content, why bother? That, I can’t answer but from my personal experience, sometimes it doesn’t work out and sometimes it does. Saying yes has lead to work, to new friends and a good life.

On the flipside, it had lead to disappointment and a destruction of expectation but even then, the benefits outweigh the negative so yes still wins.

So I’m going to do like Diane and say yes as much as I can in 2016. I can spare an hour a week.

Kath has joined our writing challenge. She is a lyrical writer and in this piece she ponders what it mean to be a writer.