Yes and No

I am very grateful and thankful for the word Yes.  It is a powerful and open concept and I welcome its growth within me.  It is the word of potential, of growth and creativity, it moves forward into an unknown and new future.  The word is present in every known language because the idea is hardwired into the human outlook.

That other word is the one every two year old knows, when he first learns to exercise his own power.  It is a really strong force in its own way, it can stop even some things those giant grownups create, but you can't really take it anywhere.  It is a powerful blocking force but it cannot create.

Human children learn their power early.  Just as they learn to walk and speak, they learn the power they have to affect their environment, to take part in the creation of their own reality.  Though the big grownups praise his first unsure, unbalanced steps, the young one continues learning to walk until he can do it gracefully, easily.  He doesn't stop with that first halting expression of ability.  And we don't stop developing our power with the concept of No.  We develop into Yes.

We are expected later to have positive alternatives instead of just blocking.  It's considered more supportive to propose feasible constructive options.  We build that later as personal power matures, and in that sense, Yes is built upon No.  Power and ability feels good, and the stopping force of No is only the first power we realize as we grow.

It still feels good though, even the negative power feels good, but not as good as the last time I was all about Yes.  There was a nice romantic whirlwind recently, ill-fated but instructive.  As it ended I determined not to lose the depth of feeling that had opened up within me.  I saw its value, felt its creative flow and have been more open since then to receive the internal light and energy to help keep the Yes response flowing.  In some ways that decision to retain the sense of depth is what led me to a deeper practice of spirit.  I had this magnetic open thing inside and they found me.

I am grateful for the way the positive affirmative response affects my spirit and even my body.  There is healing in it, there is unity and power from beyond myself - unlike No, which is isolated and local.  Yes is open and free and creative, it aligns with all of creation.  And I align with creators everywhere by feeling the power of Yes coming from deep within.  Yes brings the universe together with us.  It's like paddling the canoe in the direction the river is flowing.

There are a couple of scary parts to saying Yes to new ideas.  One is about taking a deep breath and stepping into the unknown.  New projects and new directions will bring change and we don't know what the future will hold.  This is a concern to be overcome, because I don't know what the future will bring if I say No either.  The illusion that I do know what's coming is a transparent one.

There's also a concern that the river of opportunity will flow where I don't want to go, or lead to directions that are not in my best interest.  We need to reconcile acceptance and cooperation with the productive setting of our own goals.  And in some cases, we need to exercise our personal responsibility by saying No to the ideas that are not best for each of us.  It's that same old word, used for a much better purpose these days.

I intend to say Yes far more often than No, and in response to more important and more satisfying things.  I intend to use the word No for the best possible reasons, to stay true to my own path, for the highest and greatest good for myself and those around me.  So be it, and so it is.