Perhaps I sound like a crank but I wonder if you could share your thoughts on gifts and thank yous. One more than one occasion, I have happily sent friends and friends of friends gifts for engagements and/or weddings. I had no expectation of being invited to the wedding, I was delighted to join in… Continue reading Receiving a Gift (Thank You Note Edition)
I have an attention needy neighbor and I don’t want to hurt her feelings but I also need her to back off. Full disclosure, my neighbor has some type of mild cognitive impairment. I’m not 100% sure what it is. She is incredibly sweet and also doesn’t completely understand social norms and struggles to have… Continue reading Your Neighbor Wants To Be Friends But You Don’t
I am an ethical non-monogamist; most of my close friends are monogamous. Sharing any updates at all on my love life – in response to their direct inquiries (!) – makes them supremely uncomfortable. This is compounded when I happen to be seeing someone who is in a committed relationship and also (openly) seeing me.… Continue reading Your Friend is An Ethical Non-Monogamist
I am horrible at keeping in touch with my friends, especially those who live far away. The worst is that I often don’t end up responding to emails for a long period of time. I get an email, read it on my phone (which, side note, I hate typing emails on), plan on responding, forget,… Continue reading You’ve Totally Spaced in Responding To Your Friend’s Email
My friend’s husband recently passed away. We don’t see each other often so when we do, most of the time is spent catching up. She continues to ask how things are going in my life but my saying I’m worried I might have allergies now or wondering what my next career move might be seems… Continue reading Your Friend’s Partner Dies
Sometimes when I am hanging out with a friend, I will run into another friend who I find more interesting and start talking to that person and realize that I have totally mentally checked out from the person that I was originally hanging out with. I realize I shouldn’t do that but, if I do,… Continue reading You Realize You’ve Slighted a Friend
And now for a little rapid-fire ridiculousness. Enjoy!
What am I supposed to say when I actually don’t think my friend’s new kid is cute?
I am not a pet person. I am horribly allergic to cats and dogs and have never had one. I live in a city where dogs outnumber children. I am constantly having friends show me pictures of their pets or tell stories about them. They sometimes refer to them as their kids, and I can… Continue reading People Talk About Their Pets
I’m struggling with how to end a long term close friendship without being a jerk. We had been best friends for more than a decade, unfortunately it isn’t becoming clear that our political/social justice beliefs are incompatible. Is it better to address the breakup head on? Or to try to do some type of fade… Continue reading Ending a Long-Term Friendship