Okay, so what do i do?

I used to be very close to this person. we were pretty good friends. couple of years ago, things went downhill and eventually we just stopped talking.
last year I decided to contact her and luckily she was receptive to it and since then…we’ve been talking/texting alot, met up a few times…basically we’re on good terms now. Whatever happened in the past, I’ve forgiven it and moved on and im assuming she has too.

so the problem is…in the last couple of months she’s been the one to initiate plans to hang out and stuff. Normally i’d say yes but then cancel on her, for what I thought were valid reasons.

Most recently she invited me to another get-together and I decided not to go, for personal reasons. I told her as much, its a personal reason and please dont take it any wrong way. But like i xpected, shes pretty pissed. Ill admit , its a pretty annoying habit on my part to say ill come but then not come, but she did this with me all hte time when we were friends, and i never said anything. I guess some of the things that happened still bother me but I would feel VERY petty bringing it up now since we’re both adults now, and i dont want to use it as an excuse for anything.

I like having her in my life…so…how do i fix this?

Give me her email ID, I'll forward this post of yours onto her. ; )

She'll read it and clearly be able to see you didn't mean anything wrong, just like we're able to do so.

Re: Okay, so what do i do?

Sara anyone that makes plans and then cancels would get very annoy'd. You havnt really explain'd what happend in the past so cant comment on that. But why exactly do you make plans if you dont go thru with them? Surely if you didnt want to then you shud say straight away you dont want to instead of planning then cancelling and longing things out. However considering you really want her in your life as it was *you *that contacted her even tho she did something to *you? *... Why dont you two jus go out for a coffee or something and explain what happend and that your sorry.
What happend in the past or do you care not to share?

Re: Okay, so what do i do?

I'd say you have good intentions, but in life, its important that we be seen as people who keep our word. That means that you should learn to keep promises....

I usually dont give advice here, but I can relate to what you're talking about because I used to be like you. A girl I was friends with in school was always inviting me to things, making plans to go out for coffee, hang out, etc....I would either cancel on her (for what I also thought were valid reasons) or show up incredibly late, something I now realize is very disrespectful. I can't tell you how much I regret that, because we made a plan to hang out and before we were able to follow up on it, she was admitted into the hospital for a routine test and passed away. I can't describe the guilt and sadness I felt upon her passing....she wasn't even a best friend or anything, but she was just such a genuinely good person and it made me realize what a bad person I was. And by that time, it was too late....the last thing I was ever able to do for her was her ghusl before burial. If I had only known how short her life was meant to be, I would've not only taken advantage of every time she invited me, but initiated more get-togethers myself.

The only reason I'm telling you this story is God forbid, if you were put in my situation at that time, I don't think saying "Oh well, she used to do the same thing to me several years ago" would make you feel better. Dont think of it as a thing between you and her, but something you need to work on to improve all of your relationships....forgiving (and truly meaning it, I don't think you've truly forgiven her if you feel like bringing up the past) and learning to keep your word unless the situation is dire.

Re: Okay, so what do i do?

just make another plan and tell her that u admit that u cancelling up on her wasn't the nicest thing and thats why to make up for it ur inviting her for coffee or watever plan suits u ... simple

Its hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, I guess it was just alot of small things that piled up. Like one example, she asked me to come to her school, and I went. It was over an hour awa and when i got there...she never picked up my phone calls once. It was things like that. We didnt have a big falling out, but just stopped talking.

The first time she asked me to hang out coupla months ago I guess i had those things in the back of my mind so i cancelled (and I had a minor cold and didnt want to be around her kid). Second time I cancelled because I was going out of the country on a short notice trip. This is the third time i'm cancelling...for personal reasons.

im so sorry about your friend :(

Thats a really different way to look at it....I would never consider myself the type of person to break promises or not keep my word, but the way you're saying it...it is....

u know the thing is I used to be a very punctual person. I would ask others to hang out, i would always be on time. I dont feel that was a quality that was appreciated....it didnt benefit me in any way so I stopped caring that much at all. i felt like...if xyz can alwyas do this, then who cares if i do or dont do it. but now i realize thats not right to do either.

^ You say that you LIKE having her in your life and that you've FORGIVEN past mistakes and have MOVED on from them. That being said, don't bring up all that went wrong in the past. It takes TWO people to make a relationship and sometimes WE OURSELVES may not realize the small ways that we have offended our friends/family in the past. If you've truly forgiven, then let it go and instead concentrate on making the relationship stronger.

Now, you also say that you have a habit of bailing out on plans at the last minute. I don't mean to chide, but this has the potential to hurt your relationships. If you do this often enough (regardless of the fact that she's bailed out on you in the past as well).........it gives the other person the impression that you don't enjoy their company. Moreover, when you say that you're coming and then bail out at the last minute..........it gives this sort of wishy-washy/unreliable impression. And that can make the other person think that they can't "trust" or "count on you" in the future. Can't have a relationship without trust and reciprocation.

I'm not saying that you're untrustworthy or unreliable. And I KNOW she did the same to you. But since you acted like the BIGGER **person and reached out to her in the first place..........then set a positive example for her **again. Can you at least try to spend a little bit of time at her party? Maybe you can drop by for a hour and then leave early. She'll appreciate the fact that you showed up, if only for a while. She'll see that your tried your best.......and might be more motivated to try her best to attend your invitations in the future as well.

If you TRULY cannot attend this current invitation of hers.......then how about a nice gesture to make up for your absence? One that shows you care. For example, you can SURPRISE her with a visit. Bring a small gift and then explain to her IN PERSON that your truly couldn't make it to her party and that you were not deliberately avoiding her. When you make amends IN PERSON as opposed to over the phone/email/texting..........it just makes it seem more sincere and meaningful to the other person. After all, actions speak louder than words.

Also, it's hard to maintain a friendship only via texting/phone/email. Personal contact....spending time together in person makes the relationship stronger. If you frequently bail out on a person.......they might think you don't care and DO THE SAME TO you. Then you'll both go back and forth in this petty act of revenge, n the relationship can break down.

So, either try to go to her party for a little bit.................OR.............make it up with a surprise visit (one that she can't make excuses and get out of).

Re: Okay, so what do i do?

aw misunderstandings happen between pals.talk to her or if u dont want to then make it to her house whenever she asks to hang out.

This is exactly how I feel.

The only things we have control over are our actions and reactions. Thats it.

That being said, do your best. Your rule should be to put your best foot forward regardless of what the other person does or says. Yes, we get affected by others and sometimes carry those things with us for a long time. But who does that really affect? If you think about it, it really affects people like you and me. We carry burdens that we never let go of.

So, from now on. Try to forget and move on. Try to get a thicker skin and not let others' attitudes affect your future actions. By this, I dont mean going to every single get together or party. Be selective and go to a few. But always be nice and let go of the past.

Try to look at people with fresh eyes.

Re: Okay, so what do i do?

it seems like u dont need her in u r life..let her go instead of holding on to her nad u keep pissing her off..even though u might do it uniintentionally..girls get mad fast..theyr quick to jump to the gun like 'oh she did on purpose..that flany-tingy'..nd that negativity can affect u n ur mood which is not good for ur married life..plus u said she has a kid..nd im assuming u dont so that can b a big difference btwn u gurlz..priorties change n thoughts n stuff..

me too :(

I understand how you feel...I can see how someone who is punctual (especially from the desi community) would feel like its not an appreciated quality. But who knows, maybe your friend saw this wonderful thing about you several years ago and after your friendship ended, regretted her own actions and decided to take on your good trait/habit. We don't always know how we've affected others' lives and whether people appreciate these things...I'm sure they do, because its a part of the way people will see you and think about you, even if its several years down the line.

Sara! Whatever your frnd did to u in past was definately wrong, i wud hate it too. However if u get bk with someone u gotta forget that all n put it behind. You can't be friends n yet keep those negative feelings in yr mind. It wudnt help in any way. So either u just call it quits or do some mental excercises to forgive her for what happened. What cud help in u for the latter is 1) talk 2 her 2) understand that people make mistakes esp young kids 3) nobody is perfect.

have a good day.

Sara you've gotta judge yourself wether this girl means alot to you to be in your life or jus cause you grief again. Some people are just not worthy to be in our lives because they cause us too much grief. If you really want her in your life you have to talk to her and both of you need to make a effort. If you dont well simply stop talking again.

Re: Okay, so what do i do?

When you make a committment to go somewhere, this means that you expect to go and that you are expected to be there. To cancel at the last moment by saying "personal reasons" isnt really good enough. Saying "I broke my arm and was in the emergency room" is valid.

"Personal reasons" can be anything and is typically taken as something like I need a manicure and thats more important than hanging out with you.

If you truly want this gal in your life, you owe more of an explanation when you break your committment to her - more especially since you've done it more than once. And you need to stop making committments that you may not be able to keep.

Think about it...if these committments that you broke were with your husband's mother or your own mother or your boss at work....would you still have broken them? And would you have been able to get away with the "personal reasons" excuse?

*You're right. That's why I never have brought it up to her, because I feel its my problem, that i need to get over...not hers, that i should tell her. *

Thats a good way to look at it.

thats a possibility that i may not be aware of...

Thing is--if i'm close enough to the person, I can explain the personal reasons and hope that they will understand But now that I think about it, I'm pretty punctual and reliable with almost all of my friends, except for her i had to cancel on.

So I did explain to her those personal reasons and we kinda cleared things up. So I think we're okay now (fingers crossed)