Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Awkward friendships

Everybody has one: that person who likes you a lot more than you like them... and doesn't know it. Yes, you've got one, haven't you? You're thinking about them right now, aren't you?

You know the kind of friend I mean. They would really like to be "comfortably close" friends, the kind of friends who see each other so frequently you never need to catch up on news. You just do casual stuff together like go shopping, or see that new movie. You, on the other hand, would like to be the kind of friends that never call or visit, who exchange Christmas cards. Maybe. They're easy to spot: they're the friend who always calls you, you never call them. And when they have an idea for an outing, you'll grasp at any excuse not to go.

Oh, they're harmless enough -- we're not talking stalkers and restraining orders here. You don't dislike them, and you don't want to offend them by telling them to leave you alone. You just don't feel you have nearly as much in common as they seem to think. And, let's face it , they really aren't very cool, are they? It would be kind of... awkward... if any of your other friends saw the two of you together.

And as I was thinking about this it occurred to me: if everyone has one of these awkward friends, there's a pretty good chance that every one of us is one of these awkward friends to somebody else... and we never realized it.

And now you're thinking: huh, that guy never calls me, I always have to call him. I wonder if that's how he really sees me?

I just ruined your entire day, didn't I?

No comments:

A Brief History of Trumpistan

January 21: A coalition of eighteen states led by Texas announce their succession from the United States, forming a new country reviving the...