I just drew a limit, and it felt great.
I just got a phone call from a wonderful parent at the preschool where I am president of the board. She is leading a long-term strategic planning initiative, and she called with some questions. But it was just after 9:00, and my husband and I had a pact to go to bed really really really early tonight because we are totally fried from not sleeping enough for many days. So when she asked if I had a few minutes, I said, “Well, 9:00 is a bit late for me. Could we do it another time?” And of course it was fine with her.
It sounds easy but it was totally outside my comfort zone not to concede my own and my husband’s bedtime for school business. Whew!
Saying no to her was a way of saying yes to my husband and yes to renewed energy and yes to my values.
Try it sometime. (Both setting limits and getting more sleep!)
*This is my first experiment writing a blog in 15 minutes!