The Little Word That Changed Everything

Divya was a soft-spoken, hardworking and kind-hearted child. She always loved helping her parents and friends whenever she had free time. 

Whenever Divya heard “no” as an answer, she felt bad and began to think it wasn’t a nice word. It hurt her feelings and made her feel as if no one liked her. So she told herself softly, “I will never say ‘no’ and make anyone feel sad.” 

So, little by little, she decided to keep that word away. Instead, she started saying “yes”, just to keep everyone smiling. 

When she couldn’t say “yes,” Divya simply stayed quiet. Everyone thought her silence meant she agreed, but the truth was, she just didn’t know how to say “no” without making others feel bad. 

As time passed, the cheerful little girl slowly became quiet and lonely. She stopped enjoying the little things she once loved. 

One day, during her favourite drawing class, tears quietly rolled down Divya’s cheeks. The room, usually filled with colours and laughter, felt different that day. She loved her drawing class, especially because her kind teacher, Spandana ma’am, always made her smile. 

Spandana ma’am noticed the tears. She gently took Divya outside, knelt beside her and hugged her. She spoke in her calm, soothing voice but Divya’s tears kept falling, like they had been waiting a long time to be seen. 

After a while, Divya wiped her eyes and said softly, “I’m sorry, Spandana ma’am. I didn’t mean to cry. Your class got spoiled because of me.” 

Spandana ma’am smiled gently. 

“It’s okay, Divya,” she said, brushing away tears. “Will you tell me what made you cry? Was it something I said, or did you not feel like drawing today?” 

Divya hesitated for a while, twisting her fingers nervously. “I’m sorry, Spandana ma’am,” she said softly. “I didn’t feel like drawing today… but I didn’t want you to feel bad.” 

Spandana ma’am gave a gentle smile. “Ah, so that’s what it was!” she said kindly. “But why didn’t you just tell me, dear?” 

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Divya said in a tiny voice, “I didn’t want you to feel bad”. 

Spandana ma’am handed Divya a glass of water. As Divya sipped it quietly, she said softly, “It’s perfectly okay to say ‘no,’ Divya. You don’t have to do something just because others expect you to.”

Then she stroked Divya’s hair. “You look tired, dear. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay?” 

Divya walked home quietly, thinking about what Spandana ma’am had said.  

That night, as she lay in bed, Divya felt lighter inside. Saying “no” didn’t seem so scary any more. It even felt a little peaceful. 

The next morning, when Divya opened the door, she couldn’t believe her eyes, Spandana ma’am was standing there! 

Divya’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no… what if she tells Amma and Appa that I cried? Will they be upset with me? 

Divya’s parents stood near the door, worry written on their faces. They didn’t know what to say. 

After speaking with Divya’s parents for a little while, Spandana ma’am smiled and said, 

“Come, Divya, let’s go for a walk.”

Divya nodded and followed her teacher outside, holding her hand. 

When they reached the park, they found a quiet bench and talked for a while about the flowers, the clouds, and school. 

Then Spandana ma’am smiled and asked gently, “Divya, can you tell me something? Why did you think I’d feel bad if you said ‘no’ yesterday?  

Divya hesitated. After a long pause, she whispered, “But, ma’am… won’t you feel sad if someone said ‘no’ to you?” 

“Maybe I’ll feel a bit sad for a moment,” Spandana ma’am said kindly, “but that’s okay. You have the right to say ‘no’ if you don’t want to do something. What others feel is their feeling, not your fault.” 

She continued, It’s nice to help others, Divya but you can’t say ‘yes’ all the time. If you do, you’ll get tired and sad, just like yesterday. It’s okay to say ‘no’ when you need to. It doesn’t make you bad, it means you are taking care of yourself.” 

It was the first time someone told her it was okay to say “no.” Divya felt a soft warmth inside, as if a small weight had been lifted from her heart. 

“You see, Divya,” Spandana ma’am said softly, “even plants and animals say ‘no’ sometimes. They don’t need words, their actions speak for them.” 

Divya’s eyes popped open in surprise as she looked at ma’am with curiosity. 

“Have you seen the touch-me-not plant, Divya?” Spandana ma’am asked with a smile. “When you touch it, its tiny leaves close up tight. That’s how it says, ‘No, please don’t touch me.’” 

Divya’s eyes lit up. She smiled and nodded quickly. “Yes, I’ve seen it, ma’am!” she said eagerly  

“Do you know, Divya, there’s a tree called the acacia?” Spandana ma’am continued. “Giraffes love eating its leaves. Even though the tree has sharp and strong thorns, giraffes use their long tongues to reach and eat the leaves.”

“So, to protect themselves and to say to the giraffes, ‘No, don’t eat me,’ the acacia trees make their leaves and fruits bitter. This way, the giraffes can’t eat too much. They also release a gas into the air to warn other trees nearby, so those trees can make their leaves bitter too.”

Spandana ma’am smiled and added gently, “See, Divya? That’s how the acacia says ‘no.’ If a tree can say no to protect itself, you can say no too whenever you need to.”

“What do the upset giraffes do then?”, asked Divya curiously.

Spandana ma’am smiled. “The giraffes are smart, Divya. They move to trees on the other side of the wind as those trees haven’t received the warning yet.” 

Divya said, ‘Oh! That’s so clever.’

As they were leaving the park, Spandana ma’am asked with a smile, “Shall we have some fried peanuts?”

Divya shook her head gently and said, “No, I don’t like them.”

Both smiled, knowing that something had changed. A small but beautiful beginning.