I can see it clearly; a picture from 1981 when I was 7 years old with my little brother, our dog, and all our toys.

Imagine it, I had a bicycle and my brother a tricycle. I was in school learning English and returning home to speak only Spanish.  My parents were farming by day and by night my dad would drive 30 minutes to milk cows.  Hay was growing again after surviving the explosion of Mt. St. Helens in May 1980.

I remember blocks of cheese and powdered milk that were handed out to families.  I also remember going to the garbage dump to bring back things to our house.  I don’t remember going shopping for toys, but I do remember the visits to the dump where we would find toys in perfect condition, chairs for the dining room, and many other treasures.  

The hardest part was as I was getting older I wanted things, but the answer was usually NO.  It would be later that I would thank my parents because I didn't need the Cabbage Patch doll I had begged for and didn't get.

As an adult, I hoped I would recognize when to say yes to things and when to say no.

As a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor.  Once I learned English well, I cruised through school and took accelerated math and science classes in high school through university.  One month before graduating with a BS in Biology while drinking beers with friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico I would tell them, “I think I want to be a teacher.”  

My parents weren’t too happy with my change, but I felt the YES inside of me.  25 years later, I’m still teaching others and loving it. That YES to changing my career path had worked out. 

One career change early on allowed me to embrace all changes as they came along. 

Teaching students has been a treasure! Every day is different along with every school year and different subjects to teach.

In 2015, I discovered the online teaching world and felt the change inside of me coming.  I was lurking and battling the YES and NO inside of me until November of 2019.  Once again my parents didn’t understand the change, but I was ready.  I’ve learned from the best, my immigrant parents, to embrace challenges and difficulties. 

Two years have passed since I took the step to change my career again.  A decision I value as much as finding “new” toys in the dump to take home.

What is something that’s been disregarded in your life that might be the treasure you’ve been seeking?

Am I nervous about the unknown?  Sure!  But I say YES to creating a life that will help others and help the 2 people who did everything to provide for their family in a new country.

What about you?  What is something you should say YES to today that you’ve been holding off on?