Why saying yes to “no” feels so good right now

Here I am, nearly two years after I watched it for the first time, laughing as Jim Carrey tries to weasel himself out of one opportunity or another, until he finally takes a chance on becoming a Yes Man. 😂

It’s all the more laughable as my own two-year cycle of “Yes”—including recently reading Shonda Rhimes book Year of Yes—feels like it’s somewhat coming to a close, or a pause anyway. 🤷🏻‍♀️

After four months of MASSIVE stretching as part of staffing an intensive leadership program, I’m now jumping into homeschooling full-out, with the kids projected to end the year in their virtual classrooms after a recent province-wide shutdown. 😥

I guess what I’m trying to say, is that after saying “Yes” for what feels like two years straight, I’m now finding myself saying “No.”

No to non-urgent meetings, calls and online meet-ups. No to more volunteering. No even to books that I start reading that I don’t feel like finishing. Simply put: No.

And you know what? That no is starting to feel a lot like “Yes” to me. Yes to treasuring my kids, right here, right now. Yes to smelling the roses and being fully present in the moment. Yes to me time/dream time/hell, even just plain watching TV time! 🙌

Yes to being a human be-ing, rather than a human do-ing.

Who knows, maybe next month, I’ll be writing to you that “No” sucks and I’m devoting myself again to “Yes.”

For now, though, I’ll take the pause.

WATCH NOW

If you know me, you know I love hearing about other people’s passion projects. And one that has blown me away recently has been the journey of my friend and Experience Church pastor David Eduardo Saenz, who is changing up what church looks, sounds and feels like. (Think less preaching to the choir, more salon-worthy dialogues and conversations for the curious.)

Watch our interview to hear his story of faith, resilience and reinvention. 🙏

READ THIS

Mother’s Day is around the corner, and it’s always a struggle for me, how much to take it as a hall pass for my own secret enjoyment, how much to share it with the other moms in my life.

For some fun, me time/mom-inspired reading, check out my blog for Mabel’s Labels, where I talk about everything from having a big, loud, crazy family, to rounding up my favourite mom podcasts and feel-good holiday rom-coms for moms. 🤰🏻

TRY THIS

I gave up on reading my horoscope when there stopped being newspapers to subscribe to, but my sister recently turned me on to an app that has rekindled that former love.

The Pattern is a eerily accurate app that gives you a reading on where you are now, what you might be struggling with, and where you’re headed.

It was bang on about my current transition and commitments, and while it can’t make my decisions for me, it certainly made me feel like I was on the right track.

Wishing you and the moms in your life a happy Mother’s Day. 🌸

Cat xo