No can not only save you time and trouble - it can also save your life.

I am so proud of myself because this past weekend I told someone no and put my health first.  It does not come naturally to me to put myself first usually.  I was so surprised after the words came out of my mouth!  I was asked to go pick up my granddaughter around 6 in the evening when I was just about to start dinner.  Dinner was already later than I hoped to start, but picking her up would have set me back at least two more hours.  (She lives about 45 minutes one-way.)

Historically, I would have postponed dinner or not cooked at all and grabbed something en route or on the way back for her and me through a drive-through in an effort to save time, not inconvenienced anyone else (except myself) and not even considered saying no.

This time I said they would have to wait until after I had cooked and eaten dinner (around 8p) - before I could leave to pick her up.  Okay, that was not technically a "no", but it is a start!  The result caught me by surprise. They ended up bringing her and suddenly all the reasons given why they couldn't bring her before did not matter as much as bringing her earlier.  Funny how that worked out.