Just say, "No".

That is something I have learned to do; say, "No".  I had always found it difficult to refuse when asked to do something, and even difficult not to volunteer when volunteers were needed.  But somewhere along the line it crept into what passes for my consciousness that always agreeing to take on jobs was not necessarily doing anybody any favours.  And those jobs weren't always continuing jobs; they could just as easily be one-offs.  Like the latest job I have agreed to take on.

No, that's wrong: it is not a job.  But it is a task, and a difficult one, at that.

A friend of mine died last week.  Not an especially close friend - certainly in the geographic sense as he and his wife moved out of Brighton almost two years ago to be nearer to one of their sons in south-west London.  But I had known Jason for nearly 30 years as a fellow member of Brighton Lions Club.  And I had a great deal of respect for him so when I was asked yesterday to speak at his funeral I readily agreed.

I have started drafting what I wish to say and already I am on draft number 3.  Or is it 4?

I wish I could have refused but there was no way I could do so on this occasion.