Realized my "loyalty" to old friends was just fear of being alone

I kept hanging out with this group from high school even though we had nothing in common by age 28. One night at a bar in Portland, I counted 4 awkward silences in 20 minutes and finally asked myself why I was forcing it. I stopped texting them first and just let the bridge burn on its own. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize the friendship died years ago but you were too scared to admit it?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie94026d ago

Treat it like a breakup" feels a little dramatic lol. I mean yeah, drift apart if you want, but calling it a breakup makes it sound like you're ending a serious relationship, not just a friendship that ran its course.

wood.faith26d ago

Treat it like a breakup. Give yourself permission to move on.

angela58726d ago

I used to roll my eyes at that kind of language too, Jamie. But then my childhood best friend and I slowly stopped talking over the last two years. No fight, no drama, just fewer texts until one day I realized it had been six months. Wood's right. Giving myself permission to mourn that loss instead of pretending it wasn't a big deal actually helped me stop checking my phone for messages that weren't coming.