Yes, but
Friday, January 29, 2010
It's amazing how many times those two little words get spoken, one right after the other.
Sometimes it's simply because there wasn't enough time:
DH: I thought you were going to mow the lawn.
Bonnie: Yes, but the ice cream truck came by.
Other times it's because of things out of our control:
DH: I thought you were going to mow the lawn.
Bonnie: Yes, but then a car ran off the road, knocked over the ice cream truck and then the ice cream truck landed on the lawn mower. And now it's broken.
Other times we forget why we wanted to do something:
DH: I thought you were going to write 100 words a day.
Bonnie: Yes, but I had to mow the lawn.
Is there anything you're "yes, butting"? I'm sure there is.
In Second City improv classes, they take the time to discuss the problems with yes, but. When an actor uses that particular combination of words in a scene, it prevents the action from moving forward. You essentially are telling your fellow actor that his or her idea sucks like a Hoover. In fact, it's so bad that you need to stop it immediately and provide a new idea.
The but that comes after the yes trumps any agreement you think you've provided. And in improv, the hilarity ensues when the actors trust each other to go wherever the scene takes them. It's a beautiful thing when it works. And even if it doesn't, it's still fun to watch.
But on stage isn't where most of the yes, buts happen. Most of them take place when we look at the calendar, realize 29 days have passed since we made our New Years resolutions and see that our progress hasn't been as progressive as we'd like it to be.
Yes, but you've been busy.
Yes, but you've had to take care of a lot of things that popped up out of nowhere.
Yes, but your family needed you.
Yes, but the kitten needed attention.
But still, I have been able to work out on a fairly regular (three times a week) basis, take some time for me AND get a bit of writing in every day. With the exception of the evening I saw Rent (sniff!), I've gotten at least 100 words on the page.
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Fingers crossed that these ones stick. ;)
At least it's too cold to mow the lawn for now...
Sometimes it's simply because there wasn't enough time:
DH: I thought you were going to mow the lawn.
Bonnie: Yes, but the ice cream truck came by.
Other times it's because of things out of our control:
DH: I thought you were going to mow the lawn.
Bonnie: Yes, but then a car ran off the road, knocked over the ice cream truck and then the ice cream truck landed on the lawn mower. And now it's broken.
Other times we forget why we wanted to do something:
DH: I thought you were going to write 100 words a day.
Bonnie: Yes, but I had to mow the lawn.
Is there anything you're "yes, butting"? I'm sure there is.
In Second City improv classes, they take the time to discuss the problems with yes, but. When an actor uses that particular combination of words in a scene, it prevents the action from moving forward. You essentially are telling your fellow actor that his or her idea sucks like a Hoover. In fact, it's so bad that you need to stop it immediately and provide a new idea.
The but that comes after the yes trumps any agreement you think you've provided. And in improv, the hilarity ensues when the actors trust each other to go wherever the scene takes them. It's a beautiful thing when it works. And even if it doesn't, it's still fun to watch.
But on stage isn't where most of the yes, buts happen. Most of them take place when we look at the calendar, realize 29 days have passed since we made our New Years resolutions and see that our progress hasn't been as progressive as we'd like it to be.
Yes, but you've been busy.
Yes, but you've had to take care of a lot of things that popped up out of nowhere.
Yes, but your family needed you.
Yes, but the kitten needed attention.
But still, I have been able to work out on a fairly regular (three times a week) basis, take some time for me AND get a bit of writing in every day. With the exception of the evening I saw Rent (sniff!), I've gotten at least 100 words on the page.
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Fingers crossed that these ones stick. ;)
At least it's too cold to mow the lawn for now...
Labels: adventures, goals, ideas
posted by Bonnie Staring at 10:27 PM
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