Say Yes

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Start with something small
No, smaller. The smallest—like
Opening your eyes
A gentle, friendly hello, blinking
a new day into sight.
Yes,
The crack of a new dawn
The cracking of these old bones
A breath in, a breath out
This all-too-familiar smell—
This Pillow. This T-shirt. This Skin. This Air.
To wake up
To remember.
Yes,
Wiggle your toes
Stretch, take up space
Feel the ground beneath your feet
Let the aches and pains and other
bodily groans arrive,
Let them come fully alive.
Yes,
I am alive.
Today, too,
I raise my chin, I drop my shoulders
I speak my mind, from the heart
I enter a room fully present, full
Of curiosity about the interior worlds of others,
Not of doubt about my own beauty and belonging
Yes,
To planting new seeds
Reach for the sun
Make a left turn instead
Of making sure you're perpetually right.
Yes,
To becoming
The version of me I’ve always believed in since I was little—
That young girl knew before she understood
Our power.
Yes,
To coming home
to “The me of me”*
Less perfect, more whole
Less rehearsed, more human
Clumsily, messily, uncertainly,
I keep moving forward,
Confidently
Yes,
The fears remain, but I no longer armour up against them
You’re very brave, friends have said
But it isn't bravery—it is...
You know the first pangs of hunger you feel after a bout of illness?
It’s the return of appetite
For life—my life
A forgotten desire to taste it,
all of it, greedily.
So Yes,
I accept the invitation—
To brunch
To gather
To have fun
To sunrises I have not yet seen
To experiment
To create outside the box—no, create like there is no box
To switch off my solitude once in a while,
and put on a pair of heels,
To be a friend after six
(befriend the night, see me in a new light)
To celebrate you
To dance, laugh, love 'til everything hurts
And Yes,
To all the No’s
I believed had kept me safe
As a bird inside her cushy cage
Yes,
I am ready for my next act.
Wings fanned, poised to begin again
This time, the world is my birthday cake—
Another morning, another chance at beginning
This time, I am having my cake
and eating it, too.
Yes,

Send this letter to someone who needs a “Yes” today. 🌈

Share