Misty's Reviews > Yes Please

'Yes Please' is a charming memoir by one of my favorite funny ladies, Amy Poehler. I was pleasantly surprised that she shared life-altering, important stories - not all funny anecdotes about her time leading up to 'Saturday Night Live' and 'Parks and Recreation.'

Her openness has gotten me more excited to write and journal. Some of my favorite passages (probably because they reminded me of myself):

If you are lucky, there is a moment in your life when you have some say as to what your currency is going to be.

It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for. It takes years to find your voice and seize your real estate.

I made a lot of noise because I felt bad about hurting someone's feelings and I didn't want to get quiet and really figure out how I felt. I was afraid to lie down and put my hand on my heart and hear the tiny voice whispering inside me saying that I had screwed up.

Your brain is not your friend when you need to apologize. Your brain and your ego and your intellect all remind you of the "facts."

Apologies have nothing to do with you. They are balloons in the sky. They may never land. They may even choke a bird.

Getting older makes you somewhat invisible. This can be exciting. Now that you are better at observing a situation, you can use your sharpened skills to scan a room and navigate it before anyone even notices you are there. This can lead to your finding a comfortable couch at a party, or to the realization that you are at a terrible party and need to leave immediately.

Because of this safe foundation, I had to create my own drama. I'm aware that many children were not afforded that luxury. Some had houses filled with chaos and abuse, and they learned to keep their mouths shut and stay out of trouble. I was dealt two loving parents, and they encouraged me to be curious. This safety net combined with the small drumbeat inside of me meant I did a lot of silly things to try to make life seem exciting.

You can control time. You can stop it or stretch it or loop it around. You can travel back and forth by living in the moment and paying attention. Time can be your bitch if you just let go of the "next" and the "before."

That night, I read the deeply calm and at times sneakily funny Pema Chödrön, one of my favorite writers: "There are no promises. Look deeply at joy and sorrow, at laughing and crying, at hoping and fearing, at all that lives and dies. What truly heals is gratitude and tenderness."

I may have an idea for my February book now, thanks Amy.