Every one of us must navigate
difficult situations, relationships
and decisions. We live in a world
with information and advice
bombarding us from all directions.
How about a bit of gentle
encouragement and support
instead?
Dear Julianne’s Joy,
I had a great friend for over a
decade. Then it felt like she started
taking me for
granted. She
bailed on all our
plans at the last
minute and put
everything before
our friendship. By
the time I
confronted her
with how I felt, I
was bitter and resentful towards
her. She was totally shocked and
adamant she wanted to work on
our friendship, but when we
planned to get together, she bailed
again.
I told her I was done and I
didn’t want to hear from her. Over
a year has passed and now she
wants to reconcile again. I miss
our friendship, but I can’t seem to
move past the hurt, anger and
resentment I feel. How can I just
let it go and reach out in a positive
way?
Angry & Resentful
Dear Angry & Resentful,
A good friend once said to
me, “You don’t owe your
friendship to anyone”. It is a gift,
and it is always your choice who
you give it to.
When relationships become
unbalanced, like
yours was, anger
and resentment
grows because
that is a
reasonable
response when
you are doing the
heavy lifting and
the other person is
coasting.
It’s possible that your friend
has changed over the last year. It’s
also possible that she is exactly the
same, and you will end up at the
bottom of her priority list. It’s up
to you if you want to try offering
up your friendship again to see if
it is a more positive experience for
you.
Keep your antenna up and
watch to make sure her words