MOVING ON

It has been a strange week. Various things have happened which have been out of the ordinary but the one I choose to dwell on here is the passing of a friendship. A friend of almost ten years standing behaved badly. I told her that I thought she had done and to start with she was apologetic and contrite but as the week went on it became apparent from her actions that she was feeling more outraged than embarrassed and as things stand today I suspect the friendship to be dead as the proverbial dodo.

Falling out with people is not something I do as a rule. I grew out of it as I left childhood behind. Either I avoid people who annoy me or I will discuss the problem openly with them. As a result, disputes very rarely seem to end in a parting of the ways. When I was a girl it was very different. Falling out with your best friend was a regular occurrence.Sometimes there would be an unholy row in the playground with everyone taking sides. Often the first I knew about upsetting someone was when I walked into class and my earstwhile best friend had swapped desks and was sitting with someone else. Either way, these things were generally short lived and easily overcome.

So it came as a bit of a suprise to find myself there again at the age of 42.But I am busy and I don't have time or room in my life for anyone who brings negativity with them. There are but a few people that I would call my friends but each of them bring me something positive and worthwhile. They are loyal and true and make time and the effort to consider my needs as well as their own. This is recipricated and a mutual loyalty and respect is born of it. Friendships like this are worthy of nuture and whilst their number may be few the positive benefits that they bring to my life is of a price greater than rubies. There is no room for those who cannot contribute in this way and I shall shed no tears for the passing of something which cannot compete with the real thing.