No

No.

They say it’s a complete sentence.
But how would I know?
I find it so hard to say no… at least expressly and affirmatively.
But it is also true that I unwittingly say no all the time.
It’s the quiet no. The one never spoken. The one no one hears.
For, saying yes to one thing inevitably means saying no to something else, even if you haven’t taken the time to fully flesh out what that something else might be.

It is the classic road less traveled, without the benefit of the clear fork in the path.
We humans wander aimlessly, not noticing a hidden turn off that might have led to a beautiful clearing full of wildflowers the colors of which we’ve never even dreamed.
Why look for what is not clearly there? It could distract you. You could get lost. You might lose your footing.
You might not get to where you were going to begin with.
Although, where was that exactly?
We don’t see trouble when betting against ourselves feels like the safer bet.

It is ingrained from such an early age that we must have it all figured out.
The complete map. The full vision.
All the pieces of the puzzle fitting nicely together with rational, articulable purpose.
But a tightly fit puzzle leaves no room for serendipity.
What if the sky could be a bluer blue?
What if that is not sky at all, but an ocean with the horizon far in the distance?

The invisible no is easy. Ephemeral yet constant.
Permeating each atom of the air we breathe. Like a hypnotic gas in the ether, it lulls you back into the status quo.
Treading water is less scary than diving into the crashing waves. It also takes less energy…in the moment.
But, of course, that is a false sense of security for you are not going anywhere.
You have abandoned a destination and stopped looking for interesting paths to tread.
There you stay, afloat and merely bobbing, as the energy moves all around you.

No. I’ll dive right in.