I received the following letter from a reader and I am answering it in a general manner because so many individuals I have worked with have dealt with or are currently dealing with this issue.
Dear Dr. G.,
I am confused, frazzled, and very upset. I have a dear friend who I met through mutual friends. We have been friends for over twenty years and have been through divorces, adoptions, and all sorts of life's ups and downs together. We have supported each other and have laughed and cried together. Two weeks ago, something terrible happened with this friend. I sent her a book for her birthday. She enjoys reading fiction so I sent her a very popular fiction book. Her response was very strange. She told me that this was the wrong present and that if I really knew her I would know that she already read this book. And, that was just the beginning. She then went on to tell me about all of the ways that I had wronged her over the past several months. Her complaints included: Not responding to texts quickly enough, not greeting her family properly at a recent celebration, and others. I........