9 Comments
On a lighter note, here’s a tidbit about a Regency-era (1810) cat fight (from the 1810 Belle Assemblee):
A singular conflict lately took place in Cardiganshire. Two women, one eighty-eight years of age and the other eighty-six, who for nearly sixty years had been the most intimate friends, quarrelled respecting a hank of yarn, and after a war of words proceeded to blows: the anger of each, however, being greater than their strength, a drawn battle was agreed on in order that they might on the following day fight it out with sticks, and the bellman of the town was employed to announce the affray. After beating each other most unmercifully, the Magistrates interfered and put an end to the contest.
O, the wrath of a woman! But I find it fascinating that a hank of yarn could have caused such a violent break-up of a sixty-year friendship…
But then again, I have lost some friendships over silly things. Once, I was stupid and let a tiny secret slip (no one in the crowd “got it,” thank goodness), but the person whose secret it was never forgave me. I’ve always felt horrible about that one…sigh 🙁
Have you ever had a relationship break up for a silly reason? I’ll pick one poster to win 5 books of their choice from the swag I brought home from the RWA conference (and/or a mix of my own books). Your choice!
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:40 pm · Link
Once I quit talking to another girl during summer camp because she didn’t return the 5 cents she borrowed from me. I never did get the money back but it was rather annoyingly self-righteous of me to quit a friendship over a nickel (even if summer camp was about over at that time and I would never see her again anyway).
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:32 pm · Link
Oh, how sad! Jennifer, I think sometimes we can be very emotionally driven and sometimes that leads us to impulsively toss aside something of value without thinking of the longer-term consequences! I can’t recall a specific time for myself, but I know my mom has declared she was no longer talking to one of her sisters before. Thankfully that didn’t last longer than six months–I think she came to realize what a deep and rich relationship she’d be cutting herself off from and was able to forgive (if not completely forget) 🙂
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:33 pm · Link
I had a relationship breakup with my best friend from college. I thought we would be BFFS forever. She got married and had 2 children.
I kept calling to make plans to get together, leaving messages, then one day I get a letter in the mail saying that she didn’t think we could be friends anymore because our lives were taking different directions. I was so baffled by this. Just because I wasn’t married, and didn’t have children wasn’t reason enough for me to not be friends any longer. I still don’t really understand it….but there it is. I don’t know if that was the real reason why she broke off our friendship or not. I don’t think I did anything….but I’ve had to accept it 🙁 In the end I figure it’s her loss, but even after many years I sometimes wonder how she is doing.
October 26th, 2012 at 1:14 pm · Link
i broke up with a childhood friend over a chalk drawn picture — we still have not talked about it that was 1979
audie(at)wickerness(dot)com
October 26th, 2012 at 8:06 pm · Link
No, don’t think so.
October 26th, 2012 at 8:55 pm · Link
The only one I really remember is from high school. A friend and myself were teamed up to do a project for class. Two parts. One was to do the display and the other was suppose to do the oral. Some how we had a bad communication and we both ended up doing the display parts. Neither one of us was ready for an oral presentation. Needless to say we both got a low grade. We blamed each other for not doing their part. After that we never did have the same type of friendship. We pretty much went our seprate ways. But now we are friends on facebook and talk at least once if not twice a week.
October 27th, 2012 at 12:52 am · Link
My best friend since I was 12 years old met this guy when we were 22 at a night club (I’m 48 now) I knew he was just bad news and after a few months of them dating I told her how I felt. Well she completing cut me out and didn’t want anything to do with me. I tried befriending her about a year later as it still pained me that our friendship ended like that. As my opinion of him hadn’t changed she still didn’t want to talk to me. Turned out he was a coke addict during their whole relationship, ended up raping 6 women, went to jail for 7 years (Canada, our justice system is the worst) AND she waited for him to get out then married him! They had 2 daughters together but he was beating her and she FINALLY left him. It was all very sad.
November 1st, 2012 at 11:08 pm · Link
infinitieh–I have made decisions like this, too, and years later wondered why! Human nature can be so stubborn sometimes!
flchen1-I am so glad your mom made up with her sister. I’ve struggled with family relationships sometimes too, but I think family is worth holding onto…
booklover–oh man, that story is so sad. Wow…for what it’s worth, I think your friend was so silly to have let the relationship go in that way!
Audra–sigh! Sometimes childhood wrongs can be the hardest to overcome, I think.
Melissa–I’m glad Facebook has helped you get back at least a bit of your old friendship. That must have been devastating to both of you to find out you both did the same part of the project! Argh!
Vanda–that is just heartbreaking. You did the right thing for trying to warn her. Love is so blind! I feel really bad for your friend for choosing such a jerk over a good friend. 🙁
November 1st, 2012 at 11:08 pm · Link
Random.org randomly chose comment #4 as the winner. Congrats, Audra! I’ll email you!