Bittleness helps no one.
Sunday, February 21, 2010, 4:31 AM

just as i stumbled upon a book in my cousin's room.

so your friend has drifted away from you, or maybe they chose to distant themselves from you. Maybe it has nothing to do with you at all-its possible they needed to move on from a period of their life that was painful and they just needed to make a clean break.

What are you going to do? You could resent them dumping you as a friend, however gently they may have done it. There you were, doing your best to be a good friend to them and they've turned their back on you. Even if they stopped getting round to keeping in touch, thats abiot off isn't it? You've got every reason to feel sad or even bitter about it.

But hang on. How would that help exactly? And who would it help? Its certainly not going to make any difference to your friend, who's not going to know what you're thinking or feeling. And do you enjoy being bitter? Does all that rancour feel exhilarating and uplifting? Of course it doesn't. It feels miserable. So whats the point of doing it?

Here's a thought. Why don't you just accept it? In fact, better still, why don't you appreciate what the friendship gave you in the past and think fondly of your old friend who was there for you for awhile, even if they aren't any more? OK so there was a bit of misunderstanding, or a parting of the ways, of maybe they had an aberration. But the only reason you cared about losing the friendship was because it was once good, positive, encouraging, supportive and worth having.

Look, you're the only one who is going to be hurt by all that bitterness. its such a futile emotion, and it will screw you up and make you weary of other friends and unhappy about your life.

Better go through life accepting that some friendship are made to last and others will be more fleeting. Just as you live in some houses for only a few months and others for decades. It doesn't mean you resent the short lived ones- both have equal value at the time. And some people blow into your life for the short term and leave when they've given you all they can. How wonderful that they were there for that short space, and that they chose to give you their friendship for awhile.

Some friendships are made to last and others you only need for awhile.