September 19: Butterscotch Pudding
Food of the Day: One-Year Goal
Day: 75

Emily’s  butterscotch pudding was homemade.

Emily's Homemade Butterscotch Pudding

My pudding came from a Jell-o box of butterscotch pudding.

Emily and I agreed that we would probably wouldn’t make butterscotch pudding again.

It didn’t come as a surprise to me that I didn’t like butterscotch pudding, since I don’t like pudding or butterscotch.

Are you wondering why I would even make butterscotch pudding if I didn’t like either? It was the Food of the Day, it didn’t require much effort, and even if it didn’t appeal to my taste buds – I like saying yes more than I like saying no.

My “no” filter was broken years ago. My default answer is  “Yes.”

Over the years I have done est, had my aura read, tried natural childbirth, been treated to a musical body massage (the person giving the massage sings the sound your body makes as he or she pushes pressure points – that’s a blog post for another time), chaired two school auctions and countless other school events, and tried permanent eyeliner. I signed up for Facebook, Twitter, foursquare, Google+, Evernote, Jott (ok, you get the idea)…all because I said yes to a request. And this is just the tip of my yes iceberg. It’s true that a few of the things that I have said yes to I would decline doing again…but that goes both ways. There have been times I have said no when I wish I had said yes.

The world supports the word no. Just look at all the “NO” signs and admonishments that come our way every day: No running, no cell phones, no eating, no bare feet, no loud voices, no drinking and driving, no drugs, no foods with fats. I especially love signs that greet shoppers with “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service”; I always want to add “No Business.” What are good parents supposed to teach their kids before they are even old enough to want to take the family car on a cross-country road trip? The value of the word NO.

A long time ago, I attended a two-week workshop and our homework between sessions was to count the number of NOs and YESes we heard or saw posted throughout the week. I had pages of NO and less than a page of YES. The workshop leader shared that the reason most people say no so much more often than yes is because we are afraid of looking silly, being hurt, failing, trying something new, preserving our image, what other people would think…for every NO, there is usually a fear behind it. The leader also suggested that the word no was considered a control word. Many people believe NO is much more powerful than YES. The example he gave was of a two-year-old saying no, no, no as an attempt to control her world.

Ironic that we perceive NO to be a more powerful word than YES when the President of the United States’ campaign slogan was “Yes We Can,” and Nike’s sales soared with the marketing slogan “Just Do It.” Success and opportunity often seem to follow the word YES.

What about you…How often do you say yes? Odd Loves Company.

♥
Kb