Si. Ja. Oui. Yes.

_
Yes.

It is a one syllable word. And yet, it is one that can be so difficult to spit out at times.

In spite of the fact that it, phonetically, is a simple word, the reality is that "yes" is a complex word due to the implications that stem from its use. Saying yes often times means making a commitment, agreeing with/to something, taking action, or even giving someone else the reigns.

It's counterpart, "no," however, typically suggests refusal to do something/go somewhere, disagreement, and maintaining control. Basically, saying no tends to mean getting to stay put and do whatever the heck you want. Is it any wonder that "no" becomes one of a child's first words?!

Currently, I do a fair amount of hanging out with a one year old little girl. Nearly anything that I ask her receives the response of "no." Even if the question is not a yes or no question, the answer still ends up being no a lot of the time. Go figure. I started to think that perhaps she just hasn't learned to say the word "yes" yet so I set about trying to teach it to her a few weeks ago. After going down the "repeat after me" road, I quickly ascertained that she does in fact know how to say yes, and even knows it's meaning. . . she just chooses to not use it.

How often in life do we act as if we don't know the word yes? How often do we say no at all costs -- staying right where we are because it's safe, it's comfortable, it's controllable; holding tight to our plans, thoughts, and opinions without entertaining the idea of allowing the uniqueness of someone else or other plans to broaden our horizons; more importantly, how often do we say no to God, thinking that we both know ourselves and our plan for our lives better than He does?

I'm guilty of all of the above, more often than not.

Acknowledging that I know the word yes means acknowledging that I choose to not use it, that I choose to remain complacent, and stubborn, and close-minded, and even fearful.

Interestingly enough though, while spending time with my little friend the other day, I noticed that she had started to give "okay" as her response every now and then. Not fully committed to saying yes, and, in essence, not fully committed to committing to whatever she was saying okay to, but, she was at least open to taking that first shaky step out.

Since that first day that "okay" first popped into our conversations, she has used it more and more frequently, and, I have seen her grow more courageous and deliberate in her actions, more sure of herself and more sure of me and our relationship.

You see, while saying "yes" can [mistakenly] feel like we'll lose ourselves, it's quite the opposite, it allows us to learn more about ourselves and see things in a different, clearer light; it allows us to become more relational with others and allows us to truly experience life; but, most importantly, it allows us to partner with God and fully experience Him and what He has planned for us so that we might fully live.

And, you know what, it's alright if we just start with the first shaky step of saying okay. Okay, after okay, leads to growth that leads to surer footing, which leads to being able to say yes more assuredly and excitedly. And saying yes? Saying yes means opening yourself up to a vast world of wonder and relationship, opening yourself up to life.

Live.

Say yes.

1:3

God bless my dad and brother who's lives are inundated with females -- even my brother's dog is a she! The poor guys are quite the troopers when the whole family gets together, given that they're basically tagging along to "girl-time."

Aside from my hope for male companionship for my own personal gain someday, truth be told, I also hope for that so that the men in my family can have another guy to add to the ranks [read: enjoy a good brew with and talk sports].

Dad and Jeff, I'm doing what I can -- while still being a lady, of course -- to get the ratio more in your favor (let's be honest, it's mutually beneficial). Thanks for your patience in the meantime, both with the elongated period of being the only males. . . and with putting up with all of us gals and our shenanigans.

SWING AWAY

Fear of failure can be crippling at times in one’s life. It has the ability to introduce irrationalities into our mindset, to awaken anxiety within us, to hold us hostage . . . if we let it.

After failing, miserably, the potential to fail again may send someone running in the opposite direction, running to a safe haven where no risks have to be taken, where one can just float comfortably along the lazy river of life. But, is that truly living? If we don’t have to put ourselves out there ever again? If we don’t push ourselves to try new things, not knowing whether or not we’ll be good at them, if we’ll succeed?

True, it can be frightening, really, really frightening, to step out into the unknown, to dare ourselves to move out of our comfort zone, especially if we’re still raw from a recent failure . . . and yes, I won’t sugarcoat it, we may in fact fail [again] . . . but, we also may find ourselves reaping the abundant rewards of success and/or, if nothing else, relishing our newfound strength in ourselves after conquering our fear. 

The great Babe Ruth is cited as saying these two quotes that I believe can go hand in hand: “Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back,” and, “every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

So, whether our endeavor itself results in success or failure, the truth of the matter is that it is still a success regardless since we stepped up to the plate, gave it our all, and swang away instead of just hiding out in the dugout. 

Loosen failure's hold on you, and don't let fear hold you back -- even if you do stike out be emboldened by your resolve, and keep swinging away until you hit your home run.

IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY

Recently, I had the pleasure of dining at Lot No. 3, and, while the whole menu was filled to the brim with mouth-watering dishes, I wound up ordering their Goat Cheese Toast. Let me just tell you, it was DELICIOUS!

Seeing as I couldn't savor it enough while there, I decided to pay homage to their fine creation by recreating it in my own kitchen:

Ingredients:

Candied pecans
Sliced french baguette
Goat Cheese
Thinly sliced apple
Balsamic vinaigrette
Directions:

1. Lightly toast french baguette, until slightly crispy.

2. Spread goat cheese over baguette, placing one slice of apple atop cheese. Depending on size of baguette slice, add either one or two candied pecans on top.

3. Drizzle small amount of balsamic vinaigrette over middle of the concoction.

4. Enjoy to your heart's content!

PARTY TIME

This is a little late coming, but, not only have I been making good on my assertion to be a "doer" instead of just a "Pinner," I took it one step further and made myself a short-lived [very short-lived] party planner/helper in the last couple of months. With baby showers to be had I set my novice, crafty self to work and concocted these items:

(handwriting attributed to the best friend, since my own handwriting, arguably, resembles that of a child. . .)

There were a few other items that went undocumented, but this is the gist of what my new found craftiness has led to recently. I think that I'm starting to like letting that part of me live a little! We'll see what other projects I can tackle in the future.

BECAUSE I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF

Today's post is brought to you by the letter G. As in, "G" for The Gabe Dixon Band. . .
_

"The new day dawns

and I am practicing my purpose once again

it is fresh and it is fruitful if I win

but if I lose

oooohhhh

I don't know

I'll be tired

but I will turn and go

only guessing 'til I get there

then I'll know. . .

_

. . . And all will be well

even after all the promises you've broken to yourself

all will be well

you can ask me how

but only time will tell . . .
_

. . .  And aaaalllll will be well

even though sometimes this is hard to tell

and the fight is just as frustrating as hell

aaaallll will be well . . .

_

. . . You've got to

keep it up

and don't give up

and chase your dreams

and you will find

all in time. . .

_

. . . All will be well

you can ask me how

but only time will tell

you can ask me how

but only time will tell."

~ from their song All Will be Well

_

Give it a listen sometime.

              

REMEMBER WHEN

I may or may not be 'staying' with my parents, yet again, at the moment [okay, I may be -- but, at least I'm not alone].

I thought that at this point in my life any roommate/s that I'd have would be a husband and/or children . . . not my parents. But, life is humorous and I love nothing more than to be a prop in its comedy act. You're welcome, life.

Being that my parents recently moved, aside from the general fun of a new home and town to make memories in, the icing on the cake is that I get to help them unpack their boxes! You think I'm being sarcastic? Oh no. That's genuine excitement there. Need I remind you of my deep love for cleaning things out? The only hiccup is that my love isn't necessarily matched by the other parties involved. We'll get there.

Since it's a process to get the others on board with sorting through the endless mass of boxes, I dedicated some time the other day to going through my own boxes of belongings that they've been holding on to for me. What a walk down memory lane!

In between laughing at the ridiculous stories that I wrote as a child, wondering what's become of certain people while looking through yearbooks, or trying to decide if it was worth keeping the platypus stuffed animal that I sewed in 9th grade home ec., I found myself being transported to a different time. A time when messages between friends looked like these,

a time when imagination ran rampant,

(okay, the masks may be a little creepy, but don't worry, it's just my brother and me)

and a time when going to an adult event made you feel so special and mature [even if you did look a little on the silly side]:

It was a good time, a real good time.

And, while it's largely the memories themselves that I cherish, it's also the child-like mindset of those years that I think of fondly. The mindset where everything seemed more simple, more understandable, more possible. When friendships and relationships were less complicated, when creativity was less stifled by the demands of everyday life, when being an adult seemed like a lot of fun.

Youth may be gone, but why does that frame of mind have to vanish as well? It may be a bit more difficult to cultivate in the midst of this stage of life, and it will probably look a little different than it did as a youngen, but, I think that it certainly is possible to see the world through child's eyes once again, with adult prescription lenses.

Life can be simple if we slow down and take the time to pay attention to the things around us. Life matters can make more sense if we strive for knowledge and clarification. Everything can be possible if we have the courage to take action and step out in faith.

Friendships and relationships? Love others as you, yourself, would want to be loved. Speak up, speak the truth, speak from your heart. Send 'notes' to let someone know that you're thinking of them, or just to say something funny to put levity and life back into the relationship.

Creativity put on the back burner? Whip out a camera, a pen and paper, heck, a coloring book. Take twenty minutes out of your day to let your mind run free, even if it just means spending the time staring out the window and daydreaming.

Being an adult can be fun, it SHOULD be fun. The years of childhood were the good 'ol days, but these days now, these are the great days! See them for what they are, enjoy them, and use them wisely.

I MAY BE ADDICTED

I nearly have my whole wedding planned . . . though I'm not engaged (much less even dating anyone). I keep forgetting that I'm NOT an interior designer . . . in spite of the fact that I have countless amounts of housing and decor items picked out. I think that I should have my own craft room given all of the cool craft ideas that I've collected . . .  although I've only made roughly three 'crafts' in the past year. And, I find myself feeling like quite the chef due to the tasty recipes I now have access to . . . when, in reality, I tend to make the same thing over and over again [aside from this apple, peanut butter, and granola sandwich -- yum!]:
_

_
Truth be told, my name is Megan and I am a "pinning" addict.

Whew. That feels better now that I've admitted it.
_
And, since accountability is key, I'm stating here and now that I intend to overcome curb my addiction by becoming a "doer" instead of just a "pinner." Hold me to it.

Perhaps then my love for all things Pinterest will be justified. Perhaps. . .
_

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT.

I stepped outside this morning and was met with the most absolute silence that I've ever heard. Perhaps it's because this is what it looks like out there:

That, my friends, is a nice, thick, wet blanket of snow. In the Seattle area? Yes, yes indeed. And, since it is a bit of an oddity here, and just because I love snow in general, I figured it's a great day to hunker down by the fireplace, with my trusty computer and some good reads, and enjoy the beautiful sight outside the windows.

With the fireplace all aglow, and before jumping into a mindless chick-lit book [what can I say, they're a guilty pleasure] I had a little one-on-one time with God. The devotional that I read this morning touched on God's desire to see fruit in our lives, and prompted me to ask how I might be more fruitful. Immediately following that, I opened up a Bible study book that I had started many years ago, intending to just read back through the parts that I had highlighted before, but, lo and behold, when I opened it up to where it was bookmarked [at the next section I was to read in full, at some point] my eyes fell on the title of that chapter, "To Be Fruitful." Ha! Oh, God, You're a smart one in how You catch our attention in order to provide us with Your answers and direction. Alright, alright, I get it that You want me to have a better understanding of how to bear fruit in my own life. .  .

Gotta love such a start to the day!

I hope that each of you see God revealing Himself to You in some way or another today, whether it's in the beauty of His creation, in interactions with others, or in seemingly coincidental instances, may He pleasantly surprise you -- He certainly likes to do that.

MAY IT BE THE BEST ONE YET

From the headlines that I've seen in the newspapers, to the words that I've heard out of the mouths of friends, family members and acquaintances, it's evident that calling 2011 "a bit of a rough year" may be an understatement. It was a year wrought with all sorts of woes: unemployment, deaths, divorces, health scares, unwanted moves, natural disasters, uprisings, and so on, and so on. For many, it is a year that's end could not come quick enough.

And, while I certainly endured my share of downs in 2011 in my own life, it is worth noting that there were also a considerable amount of ups along the way to be grateful for as well:

- a much needed sojourn to Santa Fe, NM
- visits from (and, subsequently, sight-seeing with) all of my siblings while living in Colorado
- new/lasting friendships that were forged
- marriage and engagement celebrations for dear friends
- indulging in recreational activities, theater productions and rock concerts
- surprising my sister for her 30th birthday
- a week with family at our beach cabin in the summer
- the chance to dote on some of the world's cutest kids
- precious, farewell moments with my Colorado buddies
- a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner with my closest friends once back in WA
- being able to spend the holidays with my family
- a temp. job to put some money in the bank
- the most adorable new addition to our family, my beautiful, one month old niece, Paislee
- AND, the continual emotional, mental, and spiritual growth that is a direct result of everything that I've endured/experienced this past year

So, for me, I look back at 2011 with appreciation for everything that came with it, both the ups and downs. And, I look forward to 2012, knowing that whatever may come with it is all a part of the adventure of this life.

May 2012 be a year of unexpected surprises, of increased fortitude and of fulfilled hope for us all. May it be the best year yet!

Happy New Year everyone!