November 09, 2014

"Yes please" sounds powerful and concise. It's a response and a request.

Yes Please
By Amy Poehler

Every year I discover -- late -- a new comedy to fall in love with. I refer to it as my comfort comedy because I start to binge-watch it obsessively as a means to relieve any tension & to send me into bed & sleep with good feelings. The year after I graduated from college, that comedy was Friends. (Super late!) The year after that, it was Arrested Development. Earlier this year it was Parks and Recreation, which I think is safe to say is my favorite of the three.

When I learned Amy Poehler was publishing a memoir, I became so happy. I knew it'd be good. She is strong & successful & smart and I knew she'd write things I'd want to read, and that she'd write most of them in a funny way.  Corny, but: I am grateful to the show (and the amazing cast!) and to Amy for making me cry/laugh hysterically during moments I needed it most and for videos like this,  and this for making me feel like a better human.

"It's called Yes Please because it is the constant struggle and often the right answer. Can we figure out what we want, ask for it, and stop talking? Yes please. Is being vulnerable a power position? Yes please. Am I allowed to take up space? Yes please. Would you like to be left alone? Yes please.
I love saying "yes" and I love saying "please." Saying "yes" doesn't mean I don't know how to say no, and saying "please" doesn't mean I am waiting for permission. "Yes please" sounds powerful and concise. It's a response and a request. It is not about being a good girl; it is about being a real woman. It's also a title I can tell my kids. I like when they say "Yes please" because most people are rude and nice manners are the secret keys to the universe."
(p. xix)

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