On Disposable Friends - American Digest

On Disposable Friends - American Digest

see comments esp Mizz E

"I wish I could claim that all the people whom I’ve loved have always loved me back, or that my needs and those of the people closest to me have always dovetailed perfectly. But friendship doesn’t work that way, and people’s needs aren’t always the same, so it is only fair to say that I have often wished for something no one had to give, and in that I know I’m not alone.

Some people feel angry when they think of moments when they’ve had to stand alone, and question the value they once put upon friends who weren’t there when they needed them. But I think the thing to remember is this–you don’t get from friends what you give to them, you get what they have to give, and that is the thing you must not forget. People can only give you what they have to give.
It is difficult to remember this when you know just what you need and none of your friends have it to give, and especially difficult when you have given it to them in the past. But you will save yourself a lot of grief if you keep in mind that you don’t have you for a friend, however much you might wish you did. You have that person out there instead."