Dear Haikusue:
My best friend and I have been inseparable since the second grade. We roomed together in college and even worked at the same office for a year after school. Since then however, our paths have gone on really different directions. She continued up the corporate ladder, and is now a project manager at a tech firm, and after realizing that I wanted a more art-driven career, I went back to school to study photography and have been working as a free-lancer for various newspapers and magazines ever since. Sure, I don't always have tons of spare cash, but I am really happy with my decision, and my life and I want her to be happy too. The problem is she can't seem to get over the fact that I "threw my career away" ( her words). She's constantly harping on me to do something "more serious" with my life and that I should just "keep photography as a hobby, or do it when I'm older." To make matters worse, she is ALWAYS complaining about her job, acting as if she is the first person to ever deal with office politics. Our conversations these days always seem to be an hour long rant about her life, a few insults about my career and wrapping it up with "Since you chose to do something easy with your life, I guess you don't understand." Frankly I'm sick of all of it. I've tried to talk to her about it but she insists I am imagining it because I am ashamed of my choice to 'drop my career'. At this point I just want the negativity out of my life. How do I stop these tirades before they get going? Do I just end 30 years of friendship?
Signed,
Fatigued by a friend in the Mission
Insults and put-downs
Not components of friendship
Stop taking her calls
Image: C.Hope for Style Wylde