Protecting my Personal Space

Q:  There is a person who calls me and insists that we need to get together.  I've suggested coffee but this person says that is not enough.  I would like a coffee break but feel I am being pushed into a friendship that is out of my comfort zone.  Suggestions?  A.W.

A:  If you are being pushed out of your comfort zone, the result will not be a friendship.

Use the opportunity to refresh yourself on the boundaries of your comfort zone.  Explore inside; get to know yourself better than you already do.  How are you at the necessary skill of saying "No"?

It is likely that the person who is pushing you senses something about you that is lacking in himself or herself.  The truth is that we do not gain what another has by force -- by pushing on that person.  We gain what we lack by calling on our own spiritual resources, which are drawn from within, not from another human being.

It sounds like a coffee break is not an option with this person.  Decide if it is worth holding onto that desire.  Send a clear message to this pusher, establishing your boundaries.  It is possible that you have something to learn about pushing back in order to protect your comfort zone.  Do this in a way that honors your integrity, your highest expectations of yourself.