Dear Abby: I think my best friend is leaving me
DEAR BESTIE: You may be scared, but the only way you may be able to repair your friendship is to tell her how you are feeling. Because you sense she is distancing herself, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being honest. A way to start the conversation would be to ask if you may have offended her in some way with your jokes because, if you did, they weren't intended to be hurtful.
DEAR ABBY: I am a 47-year-old male who is 20 days from being divorced. For the past three months, I have been dating a woman I've known for 26 years. We love each other and plan to be married. We have great times when we are together but struggle on the phone or with texting. I'm not sure why this is, but she says it's because we need to be together all the time.
Advertisement
We generally see one another on weekends. She says she has a tough time and cries a lot when I'm not around. My question is, is this normal? If I don't see her for two days, she gushes that she 'missed me so much,' whereas I miss her, but it's not a big deal to me. We aren't married now so I'm not in that frame of mind until we are. What can we do? — NAVIGATING LOVE IN FLORIDA
DEAR NAVIGATING: What your lady friend is telling you may seem like a protestation of devotion, but it could instead be a red flag. Her discomfort at being apart could eventually become smothering. She's obviously emotionally needy. Although you have discussed marriage, PLEASE be sure the two of you have premarital counseling before proposing anything more than a warm friendship.
Advertisement
DEAR ABBY: How does one overcome a fear of heights? I have had it from the time I was a little girl. There was a bridge I had to cross walking home from school. I had to look down at my feet to cross it.
I recently purchased a condominium on the 16th floor in a high-rise building. I love the view, but I'm too afraid to walk out on my balcony. How do I overcome this? — UP HIGH IN GEORGIA
DEAR UP HIGH: You are far from the only person who has a fear of heights. Consider installing some waist-high plants in front of the patio railing. This may allow you to enjoy your view without your knees wobbling. If you try this, do not look directly down. (I speak from experience.)
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Dear Abby: I think my best friend is leaving me
DEAR ABBY: I have been a little sad lately. The reason is that my best friend is acting weird. It makes me wonder if our friendship is slowly going away. Throughout our friendship, we have always jokingly made fun of each other. Lately, it seems that anything I say makes it awkward, and she hasn't been wanting to talk to me as often or acting the same way she did before. I'm afraid we are not going to be friends much longer, which scares me. How do I fix our friendship without asking for it upfront and without being weird? –– HER BESTIE IN CALIFORNIA DEAR BESTIE: You may be scared, but the only way you may be able to repair your friendship is to tell her how you are feeling. Because you sense she is distancing herself, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being honest. A way to start the conversation would be to ask if you may have offended her in some way with your jokes because, if you did, they weren't intended to be hurtful. DEAR ABBY: I am a 47-year-old male who is 20 days from being divorced. For the past three months, I have been dating a woman I've known for 26 years. We love each other and plan to be married. We have great times when we are together but struggle on the phone or with texting. I'm not sure why this is, but she says it's because we need to be together all the time. We generally see one another on weekends. She says she has a tough time and cries a lot when I'm not around. My question is, is this normal? If I don't see her for two days, she gushes that she 'missed me so much,' whereas I miss her, but it's not a big deal to me. We aren't married now so I'm not in that frame of mind until we are. What can we do? — NAVIGATING LOVE IN FLORIDA DEAR NAVIGATING: What your lady friend is telling you may seem like a protestation of devotion, but it could instead be a red flag. Her discomfort at being apart could eventually become smothering. She's obviously emotionally needy. Although you have discussed marriage, PLEASE be sure the two of you have premarital counseling before proposing anything more than a warm friendship. DEAR ABBY: How does one overcome a fear of heights? I have had it from the time I was a little girl. There was a bridge I had to cross walking home from school. I had to look down at my feet to cross it. I recently purchased a condominium on the 16th floor in a high-rise building. I love the view, but I'm too afraid to walk out on my balcony. How do I overcome this? — UP HIGH IN GEORGIA DEAR UP HIGH: You are far from the only person who has a fear of heights. Consider installing some waist-high plants in front of the patio railing. This may allow you to enjoy your view without your knees wobbling. If you try this, do not look directly down. (I speak from experience.) Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Dear Abby: I think my best friend is leaving me
DEAR ABBY: I have been a little sad lately. The reason is that my best friend is acting weird. It makes me wonder if our friendship is slowly going away. Throughout our friendship, we have always jokingly made fun of each other. Lately, it seems that anything I say makes it awkward, and she hasn't been wanting to talk to me as often or acting the same way she did before. I'm afraid we are not going to be friends much longer, which scares me. How do I fix our friendship without asking for it upfront and without being weird? –– HER BESTIE IN CALIFORNIA DEAR BESTIE: You may be scared, but the only way you may be able to repair your friendship is to tell her how you are feeling. Because you sense she is distancing herself, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being honest. A way to start the conversation would be to ask if you may have offended her in some way with your jokes because, if you did, they weren't intended to be hurtful. DEAR ABBY: I am a 47-year-old male who is 20 days from being divorced. For the past three months, I have been dating a woman I've known for 26 years. We love each other and plan to be married. We have great times when we are together but struggle on the phone or with texting. I'm not sure why this is, but she says it's because we need to be together all the time. Advertisement We generally see one another on weekends. She says she has a tough time and cries a lot when I'm not around. My question is, is this normal? If I don't see her for two days, she gushes that she 'missed me so much,' whereas I miss her, but it's not a big deal to me. We aren't married now so I'm not in that frame of mind until we are. What can we do? — NAVIGATING LOVE IN FLORIDA DEAR NAVIGATING: What your lady friend is telling you may seem like a protestation of devotion, but it could instead be a red flag. Her discomfort at being apart could eventually become smothering. She's obviously emotionally needy. Although you have discussed marriage, PLEASE be sure the two of you have premarital counseling before proposing anything more than a warm friendship. Advertisement DEAR ABBY: How does one overcome a fear of heights? I have had it from the time I was a little girl. There was a bridge I had to cross walking home from school. I had to look down at my feet to cross it. I recently purchased a condominium on the 16th floor in a high-rise building. I love the view, but I'm too afraid to walk out on my balcony. How do I overcome this? — UP HIGH IN GEORGIA DEAR UP HIGH: You are far from the only person who has a fear of heights. Consider installing some waist-high plants in front of the patio railing. This may allow you to enjoy your view without your knees wobbling. If you try this, do not look directly down. (I speak from experience.) Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Dear Abby: I have a crush on my neighbor — but she's married
DEAR ABBY: I am a divorced man in my 60s. Twelve years ago, a neighbor woman who I'm attracted to popped into my house to have a smoke break out on my back deck. When she arrived, I was in the shower. She came in like she always did (she had permission) and walked over to the fireplace. As she turned, she took two steps and froze because at that same moment, I came out of the shower 5 feet from my bedroom. I was naked. I froze as she looked at me. Abby, she looked me straight in the eye, and then her gaze dropped to my groin. It stayed there for about two seconds, then she gave me a smile, turned away and went out on my deck like nothing had happened. I can't forget that day. My heart was pounding the way it does the first time you meet someone. She was, and still is, married. That's why I didn't approach her, even though I kind of wish I had. I haven't been with a woman since my divorce 16 years ago, which may be why I still think about it. We are still friends and nothing like that has happened since — even though I wish it would happen tomorrow. This is the first time I have confided this to anyone. We never talk about that heart-pounding day. What do you suggest? — HIDDEN FEELINGS IN PENNSYLVANIA DEAR HIDDEN: I suggest you get back in that shower and turn the cold water on full blast. My next suggestion is to start looking at dating sites because I think you are more than ready. DEAR ABBY: My grandmother and I are very close. She is 83 and super independent. She loves keeping busy and is always running around town. I need your advice on how to get through to her. She has always driven like a 'cowboy.' She speeds and is impatient on the road. If she sees someone jaywalking, she'll speed up to 'scare them,' as she puts it. It's dangerous and worrisome. I have told her many times that she's driving dangerously, but her reply is that she's never gotten into an accident, so why would she now? Her agility and reflexes are declining as she's aging, and I'm scared she will hurt someone or herself if she keeps driving this way. How can I get her to take seriously this plea to drive more safely? — SCARED IN CANADA DEAR SCARED: In some jurisdictions in the United States, a driver could be charged with an attempted vehicular assault even if the intent was to 'scare' a pedestrian. Consult an attorney familiar with the vehicle codes in Canada and ask if this is also true there. Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel. Whether she is willing to admit it or not, at 83 her reaction time has slowed down. What she fails to take into consideration is that not all pedestrians react the same when a car barrels toward them. While some might jump out of the way, others may 'freeze' and be badly injured or killed. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Solve the daily Crossword
