does not mean pretending another person’s carelessness costs you nothing.
For years, I believed saying no would make me rude.
Instead, setting boundaries finally taught Denise that my belongings mattered even if they meant nothing to her personally.
The deposit worked because suddenly she had something of her own at risk.
And that was what really changed.
Not her ability to clean a slow cooker.
Her motivation to care.
As for my mother’s mixer, it still sits on my kitchen counter.
The same little chip in the enamel.
The same
