The Little Word "Yet"

Much time and energy in our lives is spent overcoming negative messages. These come from many sources-parents, teachers, peers, miscellaneous encounters in our environment.  When we think of good times with our parents and our favorite teachers and friends, we may remember they exemplified belief and trust in the best aspects of ourselves.

The little word “yet” is an important one to consider. Just because 'it' hasn't happened yet,  doesn't mean that that an unrecognized talent won't develop or that a negative will not transform into a positive event.

Two recent examples in the popular press demonstrate the theme of transformation. The award-winning movie Les Miserables, based on Victor Hugo's masterpiece, begins with a scene of Jean Valjean, a rough, dirty, cantankerous prisoner. We cannot envision yet that he is destined to become a man of heroic proportions.

This past week The New York Times featured the story of Katie Beers, who was locked in a dungeon for 16 days when she was nine years old. In her memoir, Ms. Beers writes that her life now as wife, mother, college graduate and insurance saleswoman, would not have been possible "had not the unthinkable happened in 1992." In an odd way, she says, the kidnapping saved her. She says that no matter what you endure through life, "there is something better if you want there to be."

Conclusion: Keeping in mind the little word  “yet” can help us recognize the great potential to transform what appears negative in the moment to a positive in the future.

Dear Reader, I invite you to comment and contribute examples of your own. jsimon145@gmail.com