Life on the reservation was all Braden had ever known. Since he was very young, he had labored beside his family, caring for horses, tending to cattle and chickens, and planting crops in the rich, fertile soil. But now that he was a grown man, he felt a restlessness stirring, a pull toward a life he had only ever dreamed about.
When he tried to share his dreams with his sisters, they burst into giggles.
“Don’t you know you need money for something like that?” said his sister, Chumani.
“Yeah, last we checked, you were po,” said Wachiwi. “Too poor to afford the last two letters!” They both roared with laughter.
Braden balled his hands into fists. “Oh, just forget I said anything!” He stalked away before they could see the frustration and sadness he felt inside.
“Okay, pause right there.” Sam the therapist held up a hand to stop Braden’s story. “So you had this great dream, and your family stomped all over it? What were you dreaming of doing?”
Braden swallowed hard, then looked at the other men in his therapy group. “I wanted to move off the res,” he said. “And save money to open a restaurant.”
None of the other men laughed. They, too, had their dreams stepped on. Stewart Smith taught business courses at a prestigious university. But he dreamed of going on sabbatical from his work and becoming an honest-to-goodness cowboy. His wife thought he’d lost his mind.
Bentley B. Garner was living the dream and had managed to retire in his early forties. But retirement turned out to be dull. After days sitting on park benches, staring into space, he decided that what he wanted to do most was buy a vineyard and start his own wine label. His wife thought he’d lost his mind, too.
“The thing is, life is short,” said Sam. “I can’t emphasize that enough. Life. Is. Short. If there’s something you really want to try, something that will bring you joy and fulfillment, no matter how small, you must find ways to say yes. As often as you can. Yes, yes, yes.”
“But how am I supposed to just up and say yes to opening a restaurant when I have no money?” said Braden, shaking his head. “That’s impossible.”
“And how do I say yes to being a cowboy when my wife says hell no?” Stewart protested.
“Maybe you don’t start with the biggest dream,” said Sam. “Start small. Each of you. I want you to say yes to every opportunity for the next year. Commit yourselves to one year of yes and see how your lives change. If your wives complain, try reminding them that this is your prescribed treatment from your therapist. The year begins now. Are you ready to improve your lives?”
Braden, Stewart, and Bentley looked at each other then at Sam. “Yes,” they said in unison.
Lair of the SSStoryteller 