This is my own website and
I am entitled to my own opinion....everyone else seems to have an opinion, and
this one is mine. And I do have friends who agree with every word on here. I'm
not alone in my thoughts. But I don't think it's necessary to leave nasty
comments in my guestbook if you disagree. I don't go on other people's
guestbooks and leave nasty remarks, I just hit the back button.
I've noticed that people
who are offended by what's on this page are usually the ones guilty of doing
this to their friends....they see themselves in it and then get angry at me.
They have no clue how many people have already written to me and told me they'd
like to give a copy of this to their own friends, because this same thing
happens to them, as well.
Recently, I had a few
situations to come up that called for some comfort from my friends. I really
needed them. A few came through for me in just 'being there'...and others took
it as their cue to 'give advice'...and believe me, it only made the situation
worse. I did not ask anyone for advice. I was still very upset when I wrote
this, and understandably so. I still hold to my statements, but will try to
sound less angry.
Now that I have my new
story up, I was able to take that portion out of this rant. The things I discuss
on this page are a combination of ideas I got from my friends, and also my own
experiences.... they aren't just my own thoughts. But just try to think of what
offends you or upsets you, when you are going through a hard time and you have
friends who make you more upset.
This message, to anyone
reading it, is not meant to single anyone out. These are some of the same things
I've been dealing with all of my life. And these recent events of mine have
inspired me to say what I feel needs to be said. This may help make you a better
friend to other friends. It's worth the read. Perhaps it can put into words some
of the things you'd like to say to some friends of your own. I know that my own
friends agree with what is on here.
I don't make the habit of
asking my friends for advice....believe me. I am a 'thinking' person and only
need some time and to get things off of my chest. I donot ask my
friends to solve my problems. I donot tell my friends about a
situation in order for them to come up with ways in which to tell me how to 'get
through it' or 'how to think about it' or how to look at it.
No one likes to hear things
like "don't let it get to you"...or "don't let her / him get to
you"....or "you need to just 'get over' this"....etc. If
solutions were that easy, don't you think we'd all do them? And I've also
noticed that the very people who tell me this will also eventually deal with
frustrating things, and they don't follow their own advice. See, it's different
when something happens to THEM.....but not when it's me.
It's easier said than
done....how does one not let things get to them? If they are upset, obviously,
it's bothering them. They can't just 'dismiss' their feelings on a whim. How do
you feel when someone says that to you?
And, you know....Not all
your friends will tell you that remarks like that are very insensitive. That
does not mean that they liked what you said...it might merely mean that they
have made a mental note to themselves to not share very painful things with you
again in the future. I'm the sort of person who will tell you what I think of
that kind of advice....maybe they won't.
Then there's the other side
of the coin...the friends who do not know what to say and do, so, they avoid
their friend altogether...the friend in pain. Well, you don't need to say or do
anything...just 'be there' for them. They do not expect special words and
solutions....they only want to know you care.
They know that not all of
their friends are poetic, graceful with words...know 'just what to say'....this
isn't a contest of who can make them feel the best. They just want to know you
care...that you will merely listen, if they need to talk. And believe me, even
if you don't think so at the moment, if you have a hard time facing your friend,
you can get a little blank note card and just put the words 'you are in my
thoughts' and that is enough...it does show you care. Send it to them. No one
ever expects anything 'fancy' or 'just the right thing to say'....please believe
that.
Basically, for me, I just
need to talk...or type....just 'get it out'...then I can look at it, process it,
deal with it, begin the healing, and move on. The very best words a friend can
ever say to me is "I'm here for you if you just need to talk". My
close friends know that I am not coming to them for answers.....I just need to
talk it out ....hear myself say it....
And sometimes, my good
friends will 're-state' what I've already said, or re-phrase it....letting me
know they 'got it'....they understood me....they heard me. And sometimes they
even tell me a similar situation that may have happened in their own lives...and
from there, I can glean out some good things that I can take with me. Not
everything works for all people. What may have worked for you may NOT work
for your friend.
I realize that when our
friends are hurting and in pain, our instincts urge us to want to help. None of
us want to see our friends hurt. But, especially in my own situation recently, I
expected no solutions....no answers...no 'fixes'....no advice....and certainly
no philosophical sayings. All I needed was 'validation'....let me feel what I
feel. And when my wonderful friends do that, they are deeper into my heart....I
feel closer to them and respect them because they respected me and my feelings.
If a person loses a loved
one to death, it might not be a good time to say things like "you need to
get past that"...or "just don't think of it"....or "you need
to get on with your life"....And I've actually had people say this to me.
I don't care how much time
passes or what a person tells themselves....you never 'get over' something like
this...you merely learn to live with it...live around it....cope with it. No
amount of grieving, then or now, will take away the pain or fill the void. Time
will allow us to continue our lives while we accept the loss.
Accepting the loss does not
mean we are not allowed to grieve from time to time...or cry, when inspired to
do so. No one has the right to tell you to put it so far back behind you, that
you no longer feel the loss. It will always be there.
Being able to live with
this loss does not mean that you are not allowed to visit those very painful
memories. Just because you can still cry about anything does not mean you have
not gone on with your life....and that somehow, once you are past the initial
hurt and tears, that to re-visit those feelings will be wrong and damaging.
And anyone who tells you anything different ...well, they are not being
realistic.
Why is it that when a
person feels momentarily sad, their friends think it's their cue to stop them
from feeling and grieving? Who in the world told them that was healthy? When did
they become an expert at how long a person should grieve, and feel, and cry and
remember? And just because I do cry from time to time over something, that does
not mean that for the rest of my life, each and every day, I will sit and cry,
just like this, forever....and that I have ruined my life....forever. Allow me
to be sad, just as you would welcome and allow me to be happy....I
need it.
My telling someone of an
event or something that I am going through, doesnot mean
it's their cue to try to 'solve my problem'...I didn't ask for advice or ask how
to grieve.
I have the RIGHT to grieve
and cry and 'feel' any emotions I ever have in any event in MY life. No one has
the right to rob me of my right to express myself or to grieve....to do what
"I" need to do in order to continue on with my life.
If your friend is
hurting....if they are angry at someone, if they have to make a decision that
they feel is in the best interest of them, LET THEM DO IT....let them feel
it....validate what they are going through. Just because YOU can't feel it in
the same way or maybe not 'see it' in the same way, does not mean that YOU get
to take it away from your friend....who "IS" feeling that way. You
need to respect what your FRIEND feels. This does not mean your friend is
wrong...'feelings' are not wrong. The feelings are based on your friend's life
experiences...not yours.
What if you are the kind of
person who is in denial of things around you...trying to look at things through
'rose colored glasses'...and your friend doesn't ....you cannot expect your
friend to put on your 'special glasses' and pretend that their pain doesn't
exist, or that nothing is wrong, just because it would be easier for YOU to deal
with. Maybe that works for you...but I doubt it...it will come out
eventually, in one way or another. I try to avoid that by dealing with it now,
not later.
And it will still hurt
later, but not with the same intensity. That does not mean I didn't do something
right...it just means that it was a painful event in my life that I will forever
feel....as long as I am alive, just not with the same intensity. You do grow
with, and from, your experiences.
If you can't deal with your
friend's pain and frustration, then maybe it's best that you say nothing at
all....it's certainly better to say nothing than to make your friend feel worse.
They probably aren't asking you for a solution anyway. Why hurt them worse?
I'm sure that if your
friend needs or asks advice, it would be a different story. I'm just talking
about those people who like to immediately step in and tell a hurting person to
suppress their feelings.
They see and feel what they
see and feel...and unless they have been diagnosed with a mental illness that
causes hallucinations and 'voices'....don't be so quick to 'dismiss' them. They
may be more grounded in reality than you are....and YOU are the one who may need
the advice when it's all said and done. Your friend is trying to deal with
reality, what is real...
Please do NOT see it as
your cue to 'fix' them or tell them that they "shouldfeel
this way" or that they "shouldnot feel that way".
They feel as they do because of their own life's experiences....not based
on your life's experiences. It does not have to make sense to YOU or even be
real to YOU...it does not have to be felt by YOU, in order to validate what your
FRIEND is feeling.
Being 'strong' for your
friend does not mean you have to solve their problems or give them answers.
Just be there to
'listen'....they may not even need to talk to you about it, but feel close
enough to you to share it...and if you give them the hurtful advice that I
mentioned on this page, you are going to alienate them from you.
You may help them, upon
hearing them explain their situation, to even agree that 'you can understand how
and why they would feel that way', even if YOUR OWN thoughts are different...try
to understand the way THEY are seeing it.
To your friend, all of what
they are feeling is very real and very painful....it's affecting their life.
As a great friend, all you
need to do is just lend a listening ear....'be there' for them....don't try to
make them look at it differently. If that needs to be done, they will do it on
their own, you can't rush it. They have to see their OWN way through.
If you take it as your cue
to minimize their situation, 'make excuses' for their enemies, or the ones who
are hurting them and causing them grief, what you are now doing is making
them feel defensive .....they already feel bad enough, but now they have to
further frustrate the situation by defending their feelings and emotions to you.
So, while they try, once
again, to tell you why they are hurting, you have just sent them on a detour of
the path they are on....now they have to get it all past YOU. And, not only are
they upset at the original situation, now they feel alienated and unsupported by
you....their friend...the person they just needed to talk to.
And the more you try
to get them to see it a different way, the worse it will get. They have to see
those things for themselves, "if" it's something they can ever do to
begin with. Again, not on YOUR schedule. They, most likely, know more about the
situation than you do, give them the benefit of the doubt.
No one expects you to have
a clever saying....no one has the answers or the solutions. Each person has to
work through their own pain....they can't hurry things along on YOUR schedule,
just because you don't want this to be happening to them. The worst thing you
can do is minimize what they are dealing with....that just makes them feel even
more isolated. If I really want to get some advice from, I'll ask for it....and
so will your other friends.
And this also goes for
situations regarding pets. I have friends who have lost pets through a
death, or the pet turned up missing, and they have told me of incredibly
insensitive things that were said to them. They are grieving a companion...a
friend...and a friendship that, through 'unspoken language', grew into a special
friendship that they will surely miss. This was a creature, a 'friend', who
loved them unconditionally. Who wouldn't miss something like that?
It' s a real pain, whether
it's an animal or a human, it hurts. There are memories associated with the
pet...a routine....pictures....little treasures that will forever remind them
that the pet is gone. Please be respectful of that. Not everyone can rush out
and get another pet...some people need time. And when the time is right, they
may be able to open their hearts to another pet. Again, this is on THEIR
schedule, not yours.
I have lived for 46 years,
thus far...and I hardly think I've waited all these years and went through all
the things that I've endured, just to have a friend tell me how to 'get through
it'....Nothing anyone says will make it go away....nothing will make a friend in
pain feel better....except for the words "I'll be right here for you if you
need to talk".
