“N”o, no, a thousand times no!

Are you familiar with this saying? I thought it was from a Shakespeare play but I discovered that it’s a song title from a short, animated 1935 comedy/melodrama starring Betty Boop. Betty is the heroine and of course there is a moustache-twirling villain and a dashing hero. Ms. Boop sings the song to the villain after he tries tempting her with a large diamond ring, beautiful fur, etc.

Why did I choose this saying for my Blogging from A to Z “N” challenge? Because lately I’ve had a hard time saying “no.” I’m a people-pleaser so saying “no” does not come naturally. It’s not unnatural for me to be busy at work, have a freelance project going at home as well as a craft project and Bible study or spiritual commitment at the same time. Looking back in history, this has been par for the course. In college, I took up to 17 credit hours and, at one time, I had three different part-time jobs. Crazy, but it paid the bills.

With a new season literally “spring”-ing to life, with trees budding, flowers breaking ground and magnolias in bloom, I decided that I also needed a new season.  I resigned my freelance, seasonal job although the extra money was nice. At work we have been short a person and although we’re in the process of filling the position, I couldn’t foresee having the time to devote to such a large freelance project in the future. If blogs had sound, you’d hear me expressing a huge sigh of relief!

When I was a child in Denver, Colo., I got involved in a melodrama theater production at our local library. Melodramas were great fun because they were overly dramatic (“drama queen” probably originated from them). My favorite scene had the heroine tied to a train track with a steam locomotive barreling its way toward the damsel in distress. How many of us feel like that woman (or man) on the tracks, with our plates piled over with “to do’s,” commitments, promises, iPhone alerts dinging and Google calendar pop-ups ringing? I think I prefer my melodramas performed in the local library, and not so realistic.

If losing friends to cancer, my parents to chronic illnesses and my money to perimenopausal therapists has taught me anything, it’s that you have to spend time with those you love, be grateful for what you have and live every day to the fullest. None of us know how much time we have here on Earth. It’s best to appreciate all that God has given us and be Christ to anyone or anything that will accept our kindness and mercy. Let’s practice saying “no” to the things that are not life-giving and “yes” to the ordinary, for God’s love.

I especially like Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s answer when asked what it takes for a person to become a saint, “Nothing extraordinary, only that which we do every day – only do it for God’s love.”