I’d love to include your friendship ritual/tradition stories in an episode!
Do you have a tradition or ritual with friends that has kept your friendship together? Perhaps the friendship might have drifted apart because of the reality of adult life, but this tradition or ritual has kept you connected?
Or maybe you have a fun and special tradition that listeners could learn from and implement in their own lives?
Ways to respond:
Reply to this email if you don’t need the answer to be anonymous. (Or, you can just tell me in the email not to use your name in the episode.)
Leave a voicemail that I can use in the episode.
Don’t be Afraid of Saying the Wrong Thing to Friends With a Chronic Illness
You know those articles and social media posts reprimanding us about what NOT to friends going through a hard time?
My friend, Jennifer Cramer-Miller, who is a four-time kidney transplant survivor, joined me this week to say THE OPPOSITE of that.
Your friends will never say the perfect thing to you. WE will all sometimes say the "wrong thing" to our friends. And I agree with Jennifer that we need to leave so much more room for people to say the imperfect thing and then let it go.
Life is too short to hold onto grudges based on people simply being human.
If you like this episode, you will love Jennifer’s new memoir, Incurable Optimist: Living With Illness and Chronic Hope. AND, this book has one of my favorite covers ever.
🎧 Listen to episode 69 anywhere you get your podcasts!
When Your Friend is an Unhealthy or Abusive Relationship
I covered a harder topic than usual—what to do when your friend is in a very unhealthy or even an abusive relationship. It can be extremely difficult as a friend, as opposed to a family member, to know when you can step in to help, or how you can help.
I’m grateful to Rachel Katz for sharing her firsthand experience, and providing ideas for what a friend could do to help someone in the same situation.
🎧 Listen to episode 68 anywhere you get your podcasts!
Latest TV Shows I’m Watching and Books I’m Reading
I’m not watching much these days—I’m juggling too many books at once. See my updated 2023 reading list here.
Still slowly watching the end of Firefly Lane
I’m keeping up with And Just Like That and enjoying it. The season finale is soon!
Articles and Episodes About Friendship I’ve Liked Lately
I see so many friendship-related things, either because I find them myself or listeners send them to me. I love hearing from listeners and readers!
“The Insidious Habit That Can Hurt Your Relationship: Ignoring a partner in favor of your phone, or ‘phubbing,’ can lead to feelings of distrust and ostracism. Here’s how to stop.” Catherine Pearson in NYT
Zibby Mag did a round up of books for people who like novels with the friendship trope. My friend Rebekah Jacobs and I recorded an episode about great books with friendship at the center back in episode 19. The full (long!) list of reading ideas is in the show notes.
This is the second piece I’ve seen in a few weeks about intergenerational friendships. “The Joy of May-December Friendship: These BFFs have learned that a 40- or 50-year age gap is no deterrent to connection.” Also by Catherine Pearson in NYT
It’s a crossover episode! I loved the chance to focus on making close friends at 50 and beyond with the fantastic hosts of The Pop Culture Preservation Society!
The latest anonymous question
“How to Run Into An Ex-Friend”
I got an excellent question about how to handle running into an ex-friend in a way that’s pleasant enough without inviting a renewed friendship. I gave a few personal examples of what NOT TO DO—things I wish I’d STOP doing when I see a former friend out in the world.
Have an anonymous question for the newsletter or an episode idea you want to share with me?
You can do that here, and I will never know it was from you.
Have a great week everyone!
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