Haven't heard from Mary in a few days. The weather here is terribly cold and I assumed she had found respite in a shelter. But low and behold, the Motel 6 number pops up in my cell phone this afternoon....turtle has resurfaced!! :) She proceeds to hand me her rationale on why she had to visit this "friend" of hers and see if she could help him out. I just listened, trying hard not to give my opinion. Then Mary asked me if I could help her out with bringing her dinner tonight. This is where the No came in. I was at the library with the girls and was heading home to cook dinner. With the weather, I didn't want to get back out after getting home. So I told her I wouldn't be able to help. At first I thought I should go in to explaining why I didn't want to come, then thought maybe I should remind her why she was with no money (just kidding...although I wanted too ), then decided I could just say No. No explanations, no reasons, just No! And although she initially reacted disappointed, we were able to have a decent conversation afterwards. So, life lesson learned today......you can say No with no need to explain yourself!! :)
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I have learned that too -- although it's still hard to do, even when I know I can do it. It's never easy to leave someone with a need/want unmet.
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