Yesterday’s issues required diplomacy and tact, but they also required honesty. Too often, I have erred on the side of diplomacy and gotten walked all over in one way or another. I’m not one to bring on confrontation. Hard to believe, I know, but true. I am learning, slowly, that confrontation does not always have to be an emotionally wrenching situation. Yesterday, I was trying very hard to be honest and articulate my needs, but I felt like I wasn’t being heard or I wasn’t formulating my thoughts very well. Writing the emails this morning allowed me to reflect on what I really wanted out of the situation, what was really at stake and what needed to be heard. Whatever the outcome (in one case, the outcome won’t be for months), I feel like I’ve been honest. I need to do more. If I’m in this for the long haul, and I believe I am, then I can’t afford to be crushed. As our friend W would say, “This is hard work.” And man is it draining.