An invitation is an offer, not a court date. You can decline without a lawyer.

Something offered can be turned down, which sounds obvious until one arrives and you feel summoned. The obligation comes from imagining the other person’s disappointment rather than from anything they actually said. Most invitations are extended lightly and received far more heavily than they were sent.

Decline one thing this week with a short, warm no and no case attached. Thank them, say you cannot, stop there. Watch how ordinary their reaction is, and let that adjust what you expect the next time.