{"id":426,"date":"2013-09-26T09:34:21","date_gmt":"2013-09-26T16:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nancymthurston.wordpress.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2013-09-26T09:34:21","modified_gmt":"2013-09-26T16:34:21","slug":"stop-asking-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/26\/stop-asking-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Asking Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a small request\u2014help care for a friend\u2019s dog overnight. My response was huge.\u00a0 STOP ASKING ME TO DO THINGS. Not just my friend. Everyone!<\/p>\n

This simple request felt like one more thing in the midst of too many demands on my time. I just wanted to be left alone.<\/p>\n

In addition, recently I\u2019ve received numerous requests for money. From friends. From projects\/organizations I care deeply about. It feels like too much. I get overwhelmed and part of me shouts, \u201cSTOP ASKING ME.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"STOP<\/a><\/p>\n

Ultimately, all I have to do is to say \u201cYes\u201d to requests that are mine to do. Say \u201cNo\u201d to the rest.<\/p>\n

So why do I roar, \u201cSTOP ASKING ME\u201d?<\/p>\n

I feel bad when there is a need for the help in the form of time or money. I want these projects\/organizations to thrive. It hurts my heart to know about so many needs that I can\u2019t help take care of. I feel worthless when I do nothing.<\/p>\n

Part of me also doesn\u2019t like having my well-crafted, overly full days complicated by others. Though I\u2019d never say that to anyone, it\u2019s hard when I find out about another project or person\u2019s need when I feel like I don\u2019t even have time to figure out how to respond.<\/p>\n

My inner roar doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s going to disappear any time soon. But it is exhausting and I\u2019m looking for an alternative response.<\/p>\n

I want to practice standing steady in a very busy, fast-moving world. See both sides of the truth\u2014amazing things that are happening alongside heartbreaking inequity and important work under- or non-funded. In the midst of the paradox, I want to keep my heart open.<\/p>\n

We need to keep asking each other for what we need. Sometimes the response will be \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes \u201cNo.\u201d Sometimes screams. Sometimes gentle clarity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy to be alive. But it is fascinating \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a small request\u2014help care for a friend\u2019s dog overnight. My response was huge.\u00a0 STOP ASKING ME TO DO THINGS. Not just my friend. Everyone! This simple request felt like one more thing in the midst of too many demands on my time. I just wanted to be left alone. In addition, recently I\u2019ve … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Stop Asking Me”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancymthurston.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}