As a bit of a health freak, my unhealthy habits are few, though I do have something of an addiction to coffee, as well as an unhealthy relationship with the word 'YES'.
Now according to the science, coffee is either injurious to your health or will help you live longer, so I intend to test the latter theory, keep drinking coffee and see how long I can live.
My inability to put the letters N and O together has proved slightly more troublesome. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’m just the girl who can’t say no, well hardly a girl but I think we’ll leave that one alone. My brother says I’m a doormat with no backbone, but I consider myself an agreeable person and proof that you can please all of the people all of the time.
I’ve said yes to loans I knew had no prospect of finding their way back to me, I've opened my door to friends at obscene o’clock and despite my feet being made for walking, I once spent many long months in a Dutch folk dancing group just because I was unable to get the word no out of my mouth forcefully enough to leave no possibility that it meant yes.
My twinkle-toed days only came to a halt when one of the other dancers upbraided me saying 'You learn now 6 months and yet you go backwards when all the rest we go forward.’ The Dutch are very blunt like that.
Another time I had a friend stay in my house for almost a year, as every time he asked if he could stay just a few more days, I said yes even though I meant no.
About 10 years ago I broke up with a guy I’d been living with for 5 years. It was amicable enough but I was certain that I made it clear we were over. He left, but about 2 months later he arrived back at my door suitcase in hand and walked in as if nothing had happened and he was returning from holiday or something. I ended up living with him for another 3 years!
Google says that this addiction to being agreeable stems from a fear of rejection, but that hardly applies to me. Sure, amn't I far too fine a person for anyone to reject me?
I did once try some assertiveness training but when after the first lesson the tutor wanted me to stand in front of the class and talk about myself for 5 minutes, I left and never went back. Sure if I were able to do that, I wouldn’t need the assertiveness course, now would I?
I heard somewhere that the meek will inherit the earth, so I’m holding out for that!
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