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Sunday, June 9, 2013

Wanting to strangle friends...

I treasure all my friends.  They all are valuable to me in different ways. One can always make me laugh, another is very wise and unflinching in his honesty.  One is the most generous person I know, another is very inventive and will never bore you.

And with each and every one a moment comes when I would cheerfully (pick one): 

  • bop him or her on the head with something fairly firm
  • drop him off by the side of a road in the middle of nowhere with a pup tent, a Coleman stove, a compass and a book of instructions on surviving in the wilderness
  • Grab a bull horn, switch it on, and announce to a large crowd that So-and-So is a pain in the neck
  • Take a container of Reddi-Whip (canned, pressurized whipped cream for those of you not of this continent) and anoint her face with it
  • Push him off the end of the dock
  • Hit her in the face with a blueberry pie
  • Make a rude gesture with my hand
  • wrap a rubber band around the handle of their sink's spray nozzle
We all have times we want to hit the 'delete' key on our list of friends.   I ran into one of those times yesterday when a dear friend, to whom I owe much, said something so amazingly snarky, I had to turn, walk away, and find a place to sit down and breathe deeply.

It's one of those facts of living, and the friendship is more valuable to me than my temporary pique.

I am so very glad that I don't behave in a way that gets others angry.

Do I? 

Nope.  (Just ask me.)

13 comments:

  1. Well, unless the person speaks up, we may never know if we've said something to make someone very angry. :) Could be one of those things where the person never consider how what's said could be taken very badly. But, generally, we get over it... or say something to them about it. Writer’s Mark

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    1. That's true. If it's worth hashing out, I generally do. ...or I sit down, fantasize, then decide it's time to get over my bad self and realize how good my friends are.

      (some of them do need thumps on the head, though...)

      ...and thanks for the welcome back!

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  2. At least you realize the friendship is worth more than the temporary satisfaction of burning a bridge :)

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    1. True. I learned that the joy of bridge-burning is very short-lived. I clocked it at 2.5 seconds. The regret lasts far, far longer.

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  3. Hi Diana .. and how often people don't realise what they've said or the implications ... sounds as though you took the sensible route .. sat and continued breathing til the moment past! Well done .. and good to post about - I know people would want to bop me on the head at times!

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. It is early morning here. Yesterday I got a very nice email from that person. All forgotten... That's the best way. (I certainly would not thwack you on the head!)

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  4. Oh, I'm sure you never do anything to tick off your friends. After all, you were gonna give provisions and a survival guide to that fella you wanted to dump on the side of the road. A truly annoying person would have stripped him of everything, including his clothes.

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    1. Hm... I'd be nice and leave some sunblock. SPF8. Just enough to crisp him ever so...

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  5. I'm going to go out on a limb and say "Tell them how you feel!" If they can't take it--they're not worth keeping as friends.

    A hint for making any angry comment less abrasive: Start with "Dude".

    Examples:
    "Dude--that was the snarkiest thing you ever said! Did you hear yourself?"
    or
    "Dude, you are so mean!"

    Caveat: This technique does not work with bosses, parents, or any other superior.

    ~Just Jill

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  6. So many people tend to say something before their brain is engaged in the process! It's horrible when they say hurtful things. Usually, they realize that they've been rude and apologize, but that doesn't always happen. I think it's always a good idea to look at our friends' good qualities so these forgettable moments are easier to forgive.

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  7. Cute. Love the last line.

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