My Week: First There’s No, Then There’s Yes

/ Ally Bean

From the title of this post… you might infer that I’m going to talk about how to be a better sales person.

I could do that.  I worked in sales for years and know a thing or five about how to manipulate encourage buyers to say “yes” to whatever it is you’re selling.

But that’d be boring for you, my gentle readers.

And honestly as an introvert, I try to forget about those years when I dragged greeting card sales samples around with me and drove all over everywhere and made cold calls.

*shudder*

So instead of babbling about… sales strategies, today I’m going to share some photos that explain, in a silly way, the lows and highs of my week.

Sometimes I feel like nuanced thinking does not exist and I live in a suburban morality play that centers around a simple dichotomy of No or Yes.

~ ~ • ~ ~

NO: Seen by the side of the trail in the park, this box suggested that I’d find a Magical Gem inside it.  It was empty.

~ ~ • ~ ~

YES: Found in the Kroger parking lot, these pennies were just laying on the ground.  I snatched them up anticipating 23 days of good luck for me.

~ ~ • ~ ~

NO: Growing wild in the forest primeval behind our house, this daffodil had no interest in being photographed.

~ ~ • ~ ~

YES: Sitting pretty in our foyer, this particular nosy tulip peeked around the corner into the hallway to watch me in the kitchen.

~ ~ • ~ ~

NO: Seen on a parked car bumper, this sticker spoke to me, explaining why lately I feel like I’m stuck in a causality loop.

~ ~ • ~ ~

YES: Changing each night in the sky above, the moon has been visible lately, reminding me that things move at their own pace… so be chill.

~ ~ • ~ ~

96 thoughts on “My Week: First There’s No, Then There’s Yes”

    • joey, I liked that little daffodil, too. I tried photographing it from various angles, but the wind would gust right when I’d snap the pic and I’d not get its face. The tulip however was ready to be involved. 🌷

      Liked by 4 people

  4. Sorry, I took all the magic gems before you found the box. I know it said to “Take One,” and I assure that I removed them from their treasure chest one at a time. There was no limit specified…

    Liked by 2 people

    • evilsquirrel13, so you are the one who caused my disappointment! Well I hope, at least, that you do something good with all the magic you now possess.

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    • Jill, unstoppable drivers are the worst, aren’t they? A danger to us all. I’ve been grooving on the moon lately so I had to add a photo of it. 🌖

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    • nance, thanks. I got a big laugh out of it. While all the other tulips are standing straight and tall, being formal and reserved, this one is saying loud and clear: “whatcha doing?”

      Liked by 1 person

  7. LOL – who needs nuance when the yeses and noes in your world are so delightful. I confess I like nothing more than a nosy tulip. Of course, perhaps it’s an advance guard and next thing you know the entire vase will be shifting itself into the kitchen. Be prepared!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deborah, you made me laugh out loud. I hadn’t thought of this one charming little tulip being on recon, but you could be right! I shall remain vigilant whenever I’m in the kitchen.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Carrie, I don’t want to get in a blogging rut, so I must do things differently from time-to-time. I love that little tulip, too. Such a funny thing to see when I look down the hallway from the kitchen to the foyer.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Blair, I was tickled pink… beyond pink… to find so many pennies all at once. I’m a penny picker-upper from way back, so this was the mother lode. 💰

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  11. Hope you say hello back to the tulip – it’s polite. I’d love to hear the conversations. A great post Ally Bean thank you! 23 pennies? That’s a prime number! Double extra good luck!

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    • Susan, I do chat with the nosy tulip. It’s a good listener. 😊 I hadn’t thought about how 23 is a prime number. YAY! More good luck for me. Thanks for pointing that out.

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  12. I enjoy looking for meaning or symbolism in things, so I love this post for its cleverness and creativity. I don’t know you in real life, but we’ve been blog friends for a long time; I cannot IMAGINE you as a salesperson.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, I was an English major in undergrad so EVERYTHING has meaning. It’s a fact, Jack!

      As for working as a sales rep, I needed the money and it was the only job I could find… so I did it. I have no instinct to close a deal BUT I can listen, solve problems + explain things so those skills were what helped me stay employed.

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  14. If those pennies don’t bring you good luck, toss one in the bottom of your vase full of tulips. It makes them stand up straight, for real! No more peaking around the corner!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Lynn, that’s a wonderful hint to know about. I had no idea pennies would do that for tulips, and now that I do I feel like this post is even more wacky than it started out being. Thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. So kind of the Universe to give you 23 cents to make up for no magic stone. I might have tried to find a stone to put in the box for the next traveler to find…good karma, no? You know me and the moon. Great shot you got there. LOL the tulip. Playing a game of peek-a-boo with you. Happy Friday Ms. Bean!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, I like my 23¢ and think it might be more useful to me than a magical gem. I didn’t think to restock the little box, lost in my bitter resentment of not getting a gem. 😉

      The tulip and the moon have made my week, providing enough “yes” to counterbalance all the “no!” Happy weekend to you!

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I too am a penny picker-upper, but since Canada discontinued use of the penny in 2013, they are getting rare to find. It didn’t occur to me until now, but do you think that means we will run out of luck? 😕

    Liked by 1 person

    • JT Twissel, I hated doing those cold calls, but it was part of the job and I needed the job. I ate a lot of Tums back then and lived for TGIF happy hours. 😓

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  26. very well played out. life is about choices even if sometimes we feel like choices aren’t our own. I love the flower picture contrasts. the tulip would drive me crazy the way it was sticking out into the hallway, but I would have photographed it and then moved it (:

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    • teacherturnedmommy, this past week has been filled with choices, seemingly foisted on me by events beyond my control. I’m tired because of it. The tulip made me smile. Such a curious little flower!

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  34. These issues – the causality loop – does t feel universal to you? I’m not sure what’s happening, but I’ve not been able to attain the level of happiness to which I’ve become accustomed for a couple years and it feels like I’m not alone in that feeling. 😩

    Liked by 1 person

  35. There’s an old Victorian book called “The language of flowers” – I think you may be the one to update that.
    Yea pennies! (Maybe the gems are enchanted – like Brigadoon and only appear on an alternate Friday if the moon is in the 7th house ……)

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    • philmouse, now that you mention it I remember that book– rather charming, as I recall. Yes, the pennies made me happy on so many levels. If the gems are enchanted, then any time they’d like to enchant my life for the better, I’m ready here. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

    • katie, I like that tulip, too. I’m trying to be more chill in how I approach life: not ignoring the bad stuff, but discussing it while keeping it in perspective. 9 weeks with the in-laws is a LONG time. I’d have problems being chill in that situation, too.

      [Also, I think you left me a comment on IG, but I accidentally erased it because I’m clumsy with my smart phone. Anyhow, thanks! ❤️]

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  38. I always try to be a chill and just like your great thoughts all things move their own things. Photos are amazing that you are shown on your post. Every photos marks or indicate a different thing kings.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, the bumper sticker had me laughing, too. I pulled into a parking lot to park my car and it was on the vehicle parked in front of me. We had our first warm spring day yesterday, so hang in there– it’s a’coming.

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