When to say no.

I admire people who knows when to say no.

Especially when they say no right at the beginning.

I am the kind of person who, when asked a yes or no question,

would keep quiet and look down,

or shrug my shoulders and wear a stupid grin.

 

Today, one of my artists resigned

after five days of work.

She can't take the workload, she says.

She reported for work on Monday

and the following Monday she was absent.

She said she had fever since the weekend.

 

I remember working overtime until I was the last one in the office.

I remember working overtime and working at home.

I remember working at home, late into the night and into the wee hours of the morning.

I remember working on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays.

I remember staying up overnight at Burger King, working.

I don't know how to say no, I only know how to have a nervous breakdown.

When tears start to fall as I try to keep up from one deadline to the other,

thats the time my whole body says no and shuts down.

 

Recently, I became mother to this creative group.

I've learned it is easier to say no

when there are others involved.

I can work endlessly and kill myself in the process,

but I can hardly say the same for them.

So thank God I have these people under me,

finally I am learning to say no.

In time, I'll learn to say no even if it's just for me.