Saying no without an explanation by GingeredZ and I

 

Now if you have mastered this .... I bow down to you ... you are my unseen hero ...
And here I am, nodding furiously, because YES, same. This feels like a superpower I never quite unlocked.

To say the least and simply put ...I struggle with this
Right there with you. And mine’s usually riddled with guilt.

I was tasked to start saying no and not give a reason or justify my non compliance.... I didn't know how to.
To me it felt foreign...such a simple word, why  does it feel like homework to do something so basic?

Coming of age would have meant to many [obviously not me...] to say no and mean it.
Oh yes, I thought adulthood came with a built-in ability to refuse things gracefully. Turns out, nope.

I couldn't
Neither could I. Sometimes the “yes” jumps out of my mouth before I even register the weight of it.

Or maybe I didn't have the courage to...
Yes. That’s the rawest truth...courage. Not the logistics of time, not the energy, just plain courage.

Now bear in mind ... when I was tasked.... I felt anxious and overwhelmed and decided I will lie that I accomplished it
God, I feel this. The fake “progress report” we give the world, so they stop asking if we’ve learned the lesson yet.

At the same time I thought mmmmm... what if I actually bloody can
That’s the spark, isn’t it? The rebellious flicker: maybe I CAN actually do this thing that feels impossible.

So began the NO rampage.....it began with me giving explanations and feeling bad as shite
Yesss, the infamous soft “no,” padded with excuses and over-apologies. My default setting.

I tried.
And that in itself deserves applause. Trying is huge.

I desperately tried
Me too. Sometimes desperation is the only fuel we’ve got for growth.

No one expected a NO
That’s the wildest bit, the way it shook some people when boundaries went up.

They assumed i would always say yes and that's when I realized what I have allowed
Oof. That realization hits like a mirror you can’t unsee. We trained them, didn’t we?

Taken for granted, that is heavy!
And worse, it is so ingrained that it is near impossible, but lines need drawing...

And if I didn't put down my lines... boundaries would be crossed
Amen. The chalk lines have to be drawn, even if they smudge at first.

I have said just no
I’m clapping here. That’s everything.

Not as often as I would like
Progress isn’t neat, but it’s real.

Its a damn start and about bloody time
Yes, bloody time ...