Today is the 28th day of August. On the 28th day of July, I sent a friend a text message. A friendly message, just the kind a friend could be expected to send to a friend.
In the month that has passed since I sent that text, there has been no reply.
Now, I am sure that many of you who are reading this have experienced a similar occurrence and I will guess, some of you might not have known how to handle it. Rest easy. I have had experience with events such as this and have learned how to handle them.
So here we go.
Step 1
The first thing that a person should do in a situation such as this, is to begin the process of jumping to conclusions. This is very helpful. So, when a few hours pass or maybe a whole day and there is no reply, these are the words that are very important to say to yourself.
“She hates me.”
Step 2
This involves examining in detail your relationship with this friend, to see if you really screwed up somehow. It would not surprise you to conclude that you probably did something wrong to earn this month-long cold shoulder. If you are kind of a blabby sort of person some days, did you say some unflattering things about your friend which have since gotten back to her? This is a worthwhile avenue to stroll down for a few days. Try to recall every word you spoke to anyone in the past 30 days. If all that figuring does not produce an answer, you are ready to move on.
Step 3
Did I borrow money from my friend and not pay it back? That theory doesn’t work for me as, at 73, no one I know will lend me any money any more as I never get around to repaying the loan.
Step 4
Cycle back to Step 1 and try once more to figure out what you might have done to make your friend hate you so much as to end all communication. You’re a sensitive type and you hate being hated. In fact, your life’s goal has been to be loved by everyone you know and all those you don’t know.
Step 5
Your phone rings.
“Hi Jim. Sorry I missed your text but I lost my phone.”
Never mind.
©2024 Jim Hagarty
