Oh Gawd am I Really Writing a Motivational Article?!?

Most “motivational” quotes make me roll my eyes but this one works for me.

There’s something inspiring in my home.

No, not a shirt that says “never give up” nor an Etsy mug with comic sans font imploring me to “reach for the stars!”

Nor my cat. (I mean, I am inspired by her unwavering love and her boldness to fart right in my face, but that’s not what I opened a draft to write about today.)

I’m talking about the sign in the photo above:

A little chutzpah goes a long way.

I’m not sure how I ended up with this confident slab of wood, but it’s been in my family for a while. Yes, in the Tandet family, an heirloom is not a priceless necklace nor a painting — it’s a cheap knickknack with Yiddish. (Or should I say tchotchke?)

You see, though “chutzpah” sounds like it might be a culinary spice or a venereal disease, it’s actually a Yiddish word, meaning:

supreme self-confidence : nerve, gall

Traditionally, its connotation is negative, used to describe someone rudely overstepping…