“Yes, no, maybe so”:
Yes: an affirmative answer or decision
No: used to give a negative response
Maybe (so): a mere possibility or probability
Yes, no, maybe so–the song:
Welcome to the second to last day of Soul Blossoming A to Z
Since today is 
-day, I was just going to write about yes, but then I decided that my “yes” needed some balance–and maybe a little time to decide.
A jump rope rhyme:
Also, here’s a jump rope rhyme–does it make me want to go out and jump rope? Yes, no, maybe so!
A, B, C,… etc. (say the alphabet until skipper messes up on a letter.)
(Name a name that begins with that letter)
Name, Name, would you come to tea?
Yes, no, maybe so (skip until lands on one)
Name, name, would you marry me?
Yes, no, maybe so (skip until…)
How many children did we have? 1,2,3,4,5,6,..etc.
(from Games Kids Play)
Although this is the one I remember from when I was a kid:
Blue Bells
Cockle shells
Evvie ivy over
I like coffee, I like tea,
I like the boys and the boys like me!
Yes no maybe so, repeated over and over until the jumper misses.
Some thoughts on deciding
Sometimes making a choice seems like a jump rope game–we just keep going around and around until we trip over the rope and wherever we land, that’s our choice. I thought about moving out of Chicago for a few years before I actually did it. A little more than a year before, I left my job of almost 20 years and sold my condo–renting instead. I wasn’t sure quite when I would move, but I knew it would happen in the next year or two, especially after both my daughters moved away (which was a good choice for both of them, even though I miss them!)
Often, I like to sleep on my questions before making a decision. I’ve given myself permission to say “maybe” or “I’ll get back to you on that” if I’m not sure or if I want to say no but I don’t quite have the wherewithal to say “no” at that moment.
I try to listen to my inner voice–or really that feeling in my tummy. If I feel happy about something (and it fits in my schedule), I say yes. Sometimes I feel scared to try something new, but I know I would really like to try, so I say yes and toss myself into the pool, so to speak. And sometimes, I just say no.
When I’m too tired or overwhelmed, or auto-immuny I give myself permission to say no–even if it’s with someone I love or something I really want to do. I also give myself permission to change my mind (ooh, that feels very daring!) especially when one of those things I just mentioned happened.
I guess my whole point is–we don’t get to choose everything in our lives, but the ones we do, we should dare to say what we really want. Yes, no, or maybe so. It’s up to us. Sometimes we need to pause and consider and other times, we just know right away. Choosing when we can helps us to create a life we love and a life where we can breathe.
And sometimes we don’t want to choose because we are afraid of making a mistake. But here’s the thing–we all make mistakes. I’ve made plenty myself. I love this quote by Samuel Beckett:
Ever tried
Ever failed
No matter
Try again
Fail again
Fail better
That’s all for today. Thanks for stopping by! xoxo
