…No

Yup, you read that right: No. One of the shortest and simplest words in the English language (and Spanish, for that matter), “No” leaves little to interpretation, yet is sometimes the hardest word to say, not to mention say and mean.

You’ve maybe (depending on your age) heard of the “Just Say No” campaign. It was started by former First Lady Nancy Reagan – apparently some of her friends had children who were using drugs, and in 1980 she visited a substance abuse treatment center in New York. This led to her campaign against drugs. According to the website, a little girl’s simple question to Mrs. Reagan: “What do you do if someone offers you drugs?” led to her simple answer: “Just Say No”, which led to the long-running campaign.

But is it really that simple to just say no to things that are bad for you? Sadly, it is not. Because “what is bad for you” can vary by person. You could agree to serve on a committee or beta-read a book or some other worthwhile thing when you don’t have the time. You could say you’ll give money when you can’t really afford it. You could attend an event that triggers your PTSD.

I guess it’s all about knowing your boundaries.

And, as I said in my Musings post, if you ask someone to do something, and they say they can’t, be gracious about it and thank them anyway.

And when you can, say YES!

Sorry to my email subscribers for blowing up your inboxes… I’m just attempting to get caught up on my AtoZ. Last week was quite tiring and pain-filled (stupid back) and my brain didn’t want to work.