[1QuirkyKiwi]

Friendships naturally ebb and flow in their duration – sometimes, a situation dictates that the friendship changes or ends……...I’ve let friendships go in the past because they were emotional Vampires and expected me to ALWAYS sort their problems out for them – the best I could do was be their for them whilst they sorted themselves out, but, they weren’t willing to do that. I felt guilty for walking away, but, I had no choice – I had to establish more formal boundaries for my own health and sanity.

I’m going through something similar with a two friends – we’re all part of a group of friends and I have to walk away for my own good from one of them, whilst at the same time, remain close to the other(s). I haven’t a clue how to deal with this and my feelings are like a roller coaster – the worst part is that I’m expected to mediate between the two of them AND take sides, which I refuse to do! So, now I’m walking away from one of my friends for what could be permanent. I will not be manipulated into doing what she wants, nor will I be rude when I tell her that the friendship isn’t working………It hasn’t for a while and my other friend is as close to her as she is to me, yet, she is being got at by our mutual friend because who’s the one not being open and honest.

I hate situations like this because I don’t like conflict and neither do I have the answers - in truth, no-one really does! Distancing myself from one is the only option until I feel comfortable enough to make a choice on what to do. How this will affect my friendship with my other friend, I don’t know – time will tell!

Everyone at some time in there life has been ‘let go’ in a friendship for various reasons – sometimes, it’s just that people grow, change and feel that they need to bond with others who ‘fit’ them at that time in their life.

I’ve had a friend walk away because she saw me as this amazingly strong and wise ‘Amazonian Warrior Woman’ who had all the answers and when I showed weakness and was at a loss in a situation, she was disillusioned and ended the friendship in as cruel a way as she could.

Sometimes, people have to higher expectations of others and don’t understand that some are more sensitive than others, thus, feeling more deeply and are more easily hurt – this can seem as a person coming across as emotionally irrational, when the truth is they’re not - they're just not good at communicating how they feel coherently.