I should just say no
when I come home to the aroma of freshly baked
chocolate chip cookies
“I baked a small batch,” he tells me
as though these delicious disks are calorie free
I should just say no
to another committee assignment
even though I love the collaboration
the contributions, the thinking and the back and forth
because one more meeting is killing me
I should just say no
to a new project, a new idea, a new way to share expertise
Is time like love, expanding to encompass
the richness that life offers
where somehow there is always more to go around?
But in reality
I know it’s likely
that I won’t say no
somehow, for me,
no
is the hardest word
Thinking Through My Lens 
I have said yes to too many things that take time and energy but pay me nothing. Why do we keep doing this?
I hear you! No is SUCH a hard word! I’m working all the time on figuring out “cost/benefit analysis” of various “yeses.” Of course, “benefit” is not necessarily tied to $$$, but more about personal satisfaction, appreciation for contributions, etc.
Ah! You capture the essence of my difficulty with the word, “no”. I should say it more often and I try, but it is never satisfying to say, no. Though I have to admit, saying yes is getting less and less satisfying of late.
So difficult to say, sorry, not this time … but you also have to keep an eye on yourself in context to the larger projects and possibilities. Sometimes, no (for now) is the best option.
Kevin
It’s so hard to say no! I love how you’ve captured the challenge of this hardest word in poem form.