Here is a thing that I do, and wish I didn’t: So often – most days, in fact – I stick to the plan. Once I pick my kids up from school I have an idea of what our afternoon is “supposed” to look like, and I’ll march us through the schedule one checkmark at a time, lest something get forgotten or left undone. My kids will ask whether we can do something I hadn’t even thought of – something that would shoot the day off in a completely different direction – and my kneejerk reaction will be to say no, because come on, guys – we have things to do.
Except…do we, really? It’ll be mid-afternoon, and I’ll be sweeping the floor or making a grocery list or trying to fix the latest thing that has broken, and my kids will rush at me, wanting to go on a bike ride, and I’ll say: “I can’t, guys.”
Sometimes, of course, the answer is “No, Mommy can’t because Mommy’s computer is broken and she has been waiting on hold for three hours to locate an actual human being who will help her fix it and Mommy may lose her mind if she hangs up now” (or even “No, Mommy needs to spend a few minutes staring at her Instagram feed because she needs a mental break from life”; that’s totally legit, too)…but other times? I think you put down the phone or the computer or the mop or the to-do list and just say “yes.” Not just for the kids; for yourself.
For this post, I’m working with Campbell’s to spotlight their new line of ready-to-serve soups, Well Yes! (made with ingredients that are clean, simple, and recognizable), and to drive awareness of their #WellYesMoment campaign. The purpose of the campaign: to encourage you to pay attention to – and say yes to – those moments in each and every day that are so tiny and so easy to let slip by…but that, taken all together, are what make life special.
Yes, we can hike to the top of that hill to pick flowers.
Yes, we can have a pirate fight on the bed.
Yes, we can get on our scooters and just go.
It’s probably not a huge surprise that I completely love this campaign (and this attitude towards life, generally speaking) and want to present a challenge to you: Today, say yes to something you wouldn’t ordinarily say yes to. And I’d love to know what you did (either in a comment below or on social using the hashtag #WellYesMoment), because I think it’s true: The more we can remember to make saying yes a part of our everyday lives, the more happy and fulfilled and present we are.
This post was created in collaboration with Campbell’s Well Yes! Soup. For more information on Well Yes! soup and the #WellYesMoment campaign, click here. Photography by Sue Hudelson.
