One Yes Away

#1897

How big of a difference can a simple yes make?

Even more so when yeses multiply and compound.

I said yes to the invitation to join friends in a seaside town. Then I said yes to the invitation to stay for the night. Then I said yes to waking up early. Then, another yes to going out early to the beach.

And to be honest, it all started years ago when I said yes to the invitation of a man I barely knew to join a circle with other men, most of whom I never met, to talk about something I didn't understand.

"Yes" is a tiny word, yet not an easy one to say. I still remember the doubts and the fears of that first yes. And then I remember feeling that I would never find a reason, no matter how much I tried; I just needed to go for it.

And so I did.

I said yes.

From there, it has been a long sequence of yeses that led to the magic of this morning. Some have been easy, others have been challenging.

Saying yes to something means saying no to everything else. And you never know where that tiny word will take you.

In my case, it took me all the way to an empty beach on a beautiful sunny morning.

And standing there, barefoot on an empty beach; the cool, damp sand yielding beneath my toes; the waves chanting their morning mantra, crashing then hissing as they retreated; the morning breeze raising goosebumps on my skin; and the sun kissing my face gently.

Magical. Just magical

Who would have thought that all it took was saying "yes" years ago?

If I had known it at that time, it would have been even easier to say it. But that's the magic of saying yes. You don't know where it will take you.

In the end, I now realize that I just said yes to who I am.

What are you saying yes to today? The invitation might seem small, the destination unclear. But perhaps, like me, you'll find that your bravest yeses aren't just about where they take you—they're about who they reveal you to be. And that revelation is worth every moment of uncertainty along the way.