Friendly fired...

I got fired the other day.

No, not from a job. I was fired as a friend.... And, not the other day, actually -- rather, more like a few months ago if the string of unreturned emails and phone calls is any indication. I just started thinking about it seriously the other day, though, thus the odd smooshing of time.

Being fired as a friend has the potential to bring up all sorts of issues. When I was younger, losing a friend was horrendous. I'd spend hours -- okay, let's be honest, weeks -- struggling to figure out what went wrong. (Later, of course, I dream up all sorts of fitting calamities for Former Friend Now Known as Spawn of Satan, but that's beside the point.)

The funny thing is, growing older brings a weird acceptance of the impermanence of things. It also makes it much easier to find lessons almost everywhere.

In this particular case, I learned that there's only so much talking I can do before people demand a little action. Complain endlessly about wanting to lose weight? Sooner or later, your friends are going to expect to see you shed a few pounds. Go on and on about wanting to write a book or speak another language or travel to a far-off land (or, even Minnesota)? Your buddies are going to want to see some progress.

Getting fired as a friend doesn't make me want to kick up my heels in joy, but if I make some positive changes as a result, it will be a great, great lesson.



What I'm reading this week: "Ashes of Aries" by Martha C. Lawrence. This is the fifth installment in a series of mysteries featuring "psychic detective" Elizabeth Chase. I've read two of the earlier novels, "Aquarius Descending" and "Pisces Rising." Both were very good.