I said no before I was desperate

Dear Delyara, Usually I wait too long. I absorb extra work, stay silent, tell myself I can manage, keep going, and only speak up once I am already angry, exhausted, or resentful. Then my no arrives late and full of damage. This time I said no earlier. A simple no. Clear. Calm. Before my mood was ruined. Before the evening had to pay for it. Before I had turned another person’s bad planning into my private burden. My heart was pounding when I said it. That’s the honest part. But underneath the nerves was relief. I think that is how I know I did the right thing.