What is the right way to end a long friendship? Is there a right way?
Moving on from friendships is a hard thing to do. At this time in my life, I've had to re-evaluate some things. As I look back I've sometimes put the wrong relationships first in my life. I'm embarrassed to say on more than one occasion I put my family obligations on the back burner while I've catered to other friendships. And when posed with the same situation...my friends put their other relationships first and me last. Is that because I've allowed them to do this all along? Is it because I've been so loyal to them they beleived I'd just sit back and not care? Or was my friendship just a placeholder until something better came along?
Maybe I've become less accepting of things? Maybe I'm just getting old? Or maybe I just want someone to listen to me when I have something of importance to talk about; even if id has nothing to do with you, your relationships but just about me. As Toby Keith says in his song, "talking about you makes me smile but every once in a while I wannna talk about me."
Unfortunately it is true, sometimes we treat our friends better than our family. Yet, in times of trouble, it is our family that we turn to and depend on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you JC...
ReplyDeleteHow about a big pot of coffee I'va LS? We can talk about you. Welcome back...
Maybe it's just my perspective as a bloke, but I don't think I've ever finished a friendship. Maybe sometimes you don't get the support from a friend that you once did or expected but then is that a reason to finish with them. I doubt it, it's just a reason to rethink your expectations of them. A friend would have to be actually causing me problems before I finished with them, which in all my adult life hasn't happened.
ReplyDeleteI think we've all been in that position, Girlfriend. Right now, focused on work and family, I feel guilty neglecting my own blog. When working on any of the three, fam/friends, work or blog, I feel like I am letting the others slide. Is that just a mom thing, a female thing? Catholic guilt? I dunno. But I do know that all three help to keep me same in different ways.
ReplyDeleteEnding a friendship is difficult at best. I am loyal to a fault, but sometimes people change and friendships fade away, or I get burned and decide not to go down that road any further. There's no good way, I don't think, to wind things up.
Hoping you're not saying goodbye to your blog. I love to read your take on things, and though we're friends in blog only, it's good to have folks who are smart, savvy, funny and sharp to toss political ideas with. You're most definitely in that crowd, blogsistah! Good luck with the dilemma. Wishing you all the best, always.
MP!!! You're always a bright light in the hazy mist... thanks for stopping by and this blog will continue... cup of caffeine?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Cuppajoe sounds perfect after a late nite Christmas Eve deluxe pet rodent cage assembly...Tweenie's pet rat now has more square footage than we do - who knew how deluxe cages had become! Happy New Year to you and yours and all the caffeinated family!
ReplyDeleteI actually once had a dysfunctional, obsessive friend with whom I had to break relations with. It wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty. But it was the right decision and I did it formally-- as in, "I can't be friends with you anymore because of x, y, and z."
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty open to people of all walks of life, so a person has to be pretty problematic for me to "officially" break friends with them. However, sometimes, it needs to be done so you can move on with your own life.
Pet rodent cage? LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks for commenting! I'm not sure what I'va LS friendship predicament is or was... but your words would make me feel better! Speaking of better...another cup of coffee?
ReplyDelete