The Yes Bead

Saying yes feels good. Sure, there are plenty of times when it’s not the best thing to do. Like if your plate is too full. Or if you’re doing it to people please. Or if it’s to something illegal. But when you can say yes and it truly be for you, it feels good.

These are some of the craziest times I have ever lived in. I am absolutely not alone in that. In the spirit of continuing to find silver linings throughout this season of life, I decided that saying YES to a few things that I may not usually do is one of them. And it’s been fun. Yes, I said the word “fun” during 2020. Crazy, I know.

For instance, about two weeks ago, I dyed the ends of my hair pink! I have been a blonde highlight girl for about 20 years now, give or take a few bad decisions. I dyed my hair red once, and it was such a disaster, I vowed to never do it again. I also didn’t color my hair during my first pregnancy. That was probably the worst hair decision of them all. Anyhow, I have never ventured into the colors of the rainbow when it comes to my hair. Until a recent session of Pinterest perusing.

I saw this profile picture of a woman with super blonde hair and magenta ends, and I needed it immediately. Texted my hairdresser, she ordered the product, and walked out with pink hair within the week. I said yes, because why not! And now, my two-year-old, who mind you is the one obsessed with Poppy from Trolls thinks I can do no wrong.

Second on my list is one that is definitely out of my element. Tis the season for all the online “parties”. Nails, cleaning products, books, makeup, clothes. I am usually not one to jump on board of these, but I have fallen in love with a brand of children’s books, attended a few parties, and drum roll please. I decided to host my OWN party. Who am I? I didn’t want to feel like I was “bothering” others by asking them if they would like to join, but the response has been overwhelmingly great! Who knew I had it in me.

Ever have “yes” days with your kids? I highly recommend it. One of my girlfriend’s called it that one day, and it is literally just as you think. Whatever your kiddos want to do that day, you say yes. Now, obviously not to everything. I mean if your kid wants to jump off the second-floor balcony into the foyer, you have to scratch that. But things like having ice cream for breakfast, pillow fight, jumping on mom and dad’s bed, watching movies all day, whatever ideas pop into their little minds. Say yes. It will make for a really fun and hopefully low-stress day.

This bead’s message is quick but lovely. Pick something. Anything. Something off the beaten path. Something that’s been at the back of your mind for a while. Something you see on Pinterest. Something that pops into your head this afternoon. And say yes. If I have learned nothing else in 2020, it is that our mindsets and outlooks on life make ALL the difference. And this is a small, but huge way to positively adjust. So, the next time you feel yourself about to say no, don’t. Say yes instead.

The Trolls Bead

It’s not what you’re thinking. Yes, there are trolls in this world – the internet kind, the cave kind. But I’m talking about the fictional kind. The kind that are now on my TV daily - multiple times a day at that.

Since mid-April, I have seen the movie, Trolls, approximately 187 times. And not just the first one. Trolls World Tour and come to find out there is also a holiday special. The more than 100 million dollars the second movie turned in profit? Yea, my family contributed $60 to that. Not by choice. Not by personal preference. Not because I have had nothing else to do. Well, not initially at least. But because my two-year-old has an addiction. We are slightly concerned, considering treatment options, but we figure it could be worse.

I would like to think that we are like most parents with small kiddos during this pandemic, in that we have done some scrambling in trying to figure out this new norm. So, one of our solutions has been buying or renting All. The. Movies. on Amazon Prime. I mean, what an age we live in. Amid a global crisis, movie theaters and everything else in the world closed, we can simply buy movies to stream directly on our TVs. Thank God. Little did we know, however, that one of our purchases would become the COVID-19 theme of our household.

As someone who has struggled with mental health for the better part of my life, prior to this virus, I was in a great place. Mentally, physically, professionally. Life was busy, but it was good. I was about to embark upon a book tour, travelling to several cities in NC and on the east coast. My youngest had just started a part-time preschool program. My oldest was approaching the end of his preschool career. My husband was gearing up for some work travel. We had several vacations planned that we were all looking forward to.

And then BOOM. It all came to a screeching halt. My book events were cancelled. We pulled the kids from their preschools. My husband began working from home full-time. Our vacations were no longer. And so was born the shut-down, socially distancing, quarantining, the scramble to stay afloat. Hence, my life pause, as referenced in my last post.

When we bought Trolls, I was at a point where most days consisted of going through the motions, keeping my kids alive, making it to bedtime, and drowning my sorrows in food on the couch in front of the TV. In those early days, multiple viewings of Trolls would be my saving grace to getting through the day, as I could also exist as a lump on the couch.

As the days went on, Trolls became a regular request every single morning. You want to watch this again? Sure! Why the hell not. And so we would sing and dance and hug and dance and hug and sing with Poppy and Branch every morning and into the day. In a strange way, a part of the crazy unknown in the world became known. I liked that. Rather than rushing around trying to do this and that and hurry out of the house, we would sit and watch these godforsaken trolls.

As with anything that is done over and over, Trolls and its sequels have become habit, but also comfort. Four months in, and we are still going strong with Anna Kendrick (as the voice of Poppy) and Justin Timberlake (as the voice of Branch). Believe it or not, I have grown to love this movie. It has taken on a different meaning for me.  What started out as an annoying reprieve from having to entertain my children due to my looming depression has turned into a source of joy and comfort. Weird, I know.

I actually look forward to our Trolls viewing parties, despite essentially knowing every line, song, character, next scene, every line of the credits….ok it’s not at that level. Yet. As I began to overhear and then watch this movie over and over, I found its message to be quite ironic during this time.

Brief synopsis – the Trolls are forever happy creatures who live in their own happy land, until the Bergens, who are horribly miserable creatures, discover them. The Bergens believe that the only way to experience true happiness is to eat the Trolls. And so the story unfolds as such, leaving us with the takeaway that you don’t have to eat Trolls to be happy. You can find happiness within yourself. Talk about the irony, right? A global pandemic to truly hear this message. We don’t necessarily need all the things we think we do to be happy: materialism, fancy vacations, expensive dinners, and the list goes on. Sure, all of these things are great and fun and to be honest, I am looking forward to the day when some sort of pre-COVID life resumes. But we can also find happiness within the four walls of our home, with what we currently have, watching the same movie on repeat.

Food for thought.

So yes, I am allowing my children significant amounts of screen time during our days, but if they are going to be watching something, I have found happiness within myself (yes, it’s from the movie) that it is Trolls. And if we aren’t watching it, we are listening to the soundtrack. And playing with the figurines we have acquired. And reading the Trolls books we have ordered. And cuddling with the giant Poppy and Branch blanket received as a birthday gift. And sleeping with the giant life-sized Poppy we found on clearance at Target.

The Trolls bead will most likely look different for everyone. It’s about finding a silver lining and coming to cherish something you thought you never would. For us, it’s these movies. But it could be anything. My entire family has bonded and become the number one fan club of Trolls. There is something special in that. And when life does pick back up again, in all its craziness, whenever that may be, I will miss watching my dear colorful happy friends for many, many hours a day.