Yet is a common English word that when used as a conjunction is equivalent to “but” or “nevertheless”. It means at a future time, in spite of a preceding event.
A psychiatrist friend of mine named Betty, claimed YET was her favorite word. Betty would tell clients, “I know your story is discouraging and it’s tempting to put a period at the end but what would happen if you told your story then added the word YET?
Inevitably, the clients would smile because the simple three-letter word adds hope. It means the story is not complete. When discouragement happens it is tempting in the present moment to feel hopeless. But the simple word YET offers possibilities
- Bill’s wife died and yet….
- Bessie dropped flunked out of med school and yet….
- Florrie never married and yet…..
- Peter relapsed on drugs and yet…
Did your brain fill in a new possibility to the scenarios above? Did you think of another ending to Bill, Bessie, Florrie and Peter’s story? The “Ghost of YET To Come” in Dicken’s Christmas Carol instilled optimism for Scrooge’s change. Robert Browning penned hope in the future with, “The best is YET to be.”
Another literary figure, Alice, from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 
(1865) said, “I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit hole, and yet and yet it’s rather curious you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what can have happened to me!
Just like Alice, we may wish we hadn’t gotten ourselves down the rabbit hole but YET there is still time. Your story doesn’t end here. It is rather curious what adventure can be fall you when you look to the future. When you feel discouraged and you have thoughts such as:
- I can’t do this
- This doesn’t work
- I don’t get it
- I’m not good at this
- It doesn’t make any sense
Walking through old grave yards in Scotland I came across this headstone inscription:
Where, Grave, your sting? And yet—and yet——!”
Whoever placed the Arthur Henry Adams (1872) poem on the love one’s grave believed the future offered possibilities, despite their sorrow and despair in the present. Faith kept them believing And Yet-this new road will someday be the old road too. (This lovely road stone moniker was found on the Old Town walk in Edinburgh, Scotland.)
So when you feel you are at the end of your rope, take a deep breath, go for a walk and then use the conjunctive word YET at the end of your negative belief. The word has magical potential.
CAMILLE FOSTER LCSW
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Thanks to Dr. McElroy for the “Yet” concept
Additional blog posts with similar concepts:
https://provocounselingcenter.net/2016/12/08/what-scrooge-teaches-us-about-anxiety/
