Today wasn’t an easy day.
From the moment I woke up, I wasn’t in the best mood. I had a small task that needed doing — nothing complicated, just a simple favor. I asked a colleague I spend most of my time with at university to collect a delivery from the office and leave it in our shared space. It was just from the ground floor to the first — no timing pressure, no complicated process.
His response? “I’m busy.”
So I asked another colleague. Same story.
It stung.
I’ve often gone above and beyond for these same people — solving their issues, making time, going the extra mile. But today, when I asked for something small, they couldn’t reciprocate. I tried to justify it — maybe they were really busy. But the truth is, when someone accepts a responsibility and then simply doesn’t follow through, it’s more than inconvenience — it’s a breach of trust.
One of them even said “I’ll do it,” but didn’t bother and just went home. That left me stuck. I ended up coming to the university — though I hadn’t planned to — just to ensure my own work didn’t suffer. And I was right: no one had done what they said they would.
So what does that mean?
It means I need to reassess where I put my energy.
It means I need to protect my time and my mental peace.
It means help should never be one-sided.
Sometimes, silence says enough. I don’t need to lash out or confront them angrily. But I do need to set quiet boundaries — not out of spite, but out of self-respect.
To everyone reading this:
If someone consistently shows up for you, value them.
And if you can’t help, it’s okay — but be honest about it.
I’m learning not to expect everyone to match the way I show up for them. And maybe that’s the lesson today was meant to teach me.
Wasifreflects 