Obsession with politics turns friendship into one-way street
DEAR ABBY >> I have a friend who constantly talks about all the negative politics going on today. I’m sick of hearing it. It’s not because I don’t care or disagree, but it has become the topic of every conversation. She’s extremely depressed, has major anxiety issues and, despite seeing a therapist, her condition has not only not improved, but has gotten worse.
I feel it has become a one-way conversation, and she’s not interested in listening to me. This is extremely upsetting because my husband passed away two years ago, and she doesn’t want to hear about it. She thinks it is less important since
HOROSCOPES
Aries (March 21-April
19): You’ve deep, important work to get to, and get to it you will. Even though you believe you’ve landed where you are for a good reason, you’ll move too fast to benefit from stopping to ponder what that reason might be.
Taurus (April 20-May
20): It will be fun to see who turns up to join the social fun, and there will very likely be a few wild cards in the bunch. Out-of-town visitors will bring good energy with them.
Gemini (May 21-June
21): Surprise! Magnetize! Enchant! The charms keep coming with you today, so don’t it “only affects me,” and I “should have gotten over it by now.” My husband and I were married 30 years, and his death was sudden and unexpected. Please help me get through this difficult time. DEAR OVERWHELMED >> Please accept my sympathy for the loss of your husband. Because you are still grieving, and your friend is unable to help you cope with your sadness, it might help you to join a grief support group in which you can air those feelings with others who understand.
As to your friendship with the troubled individual you wrote about, it might be healthier for you to step back for a time. You are not equipped to handle — or help her be surprised at all the fans you’ll gather between now and the full moon. You’re on a social hot streak.
Cancer (June 22-July 22): There’s a whole group, but the speaker keeps directing the message just to you. What’s this all about? Could be a crush, or maybe you’re seen as the power player. Or it could be that you’re just the best listener. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): The goal is to patiently accept the present. Because the moments are blurring by so fast, this will involve taking a breath, slowing down and stepping back so you can properly see the particular comforts and handle — her anxiety and depression. That’s her therapist’s job, and unless you can pry her off the topic of politics and on to something more neutral, your time would be better spent with people who are better balanced.
DEAR ABBY >> I have one sister, who is 10 years my junior. I have always lived in a big city; she lives on a ranch near a small town. I’m widowed now and recently moved to another town to be near my son.
On two occasions my sister has come to help me with unpacking and has overruled many of my decisions regarding what I will keep or sell, where to put things, etc. When I objected, she became emotional and left in a huff.
She and her husband were coming to help discomforts at play. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept.
22): You’re undaunted by the things that used to make you back away in fear. Why? Because the heavy responsibilities are also the ones that make you shine the brightest. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct.
23): Knives cut. Daggers go deeper. Disapproval goes deeper still. Stay away from people who give disapproval on the regular. And certainly refrain from disapproving of yourself; it’s better to figure out why you do what you do.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov.
21): Anytime you make a change, the people around you have to again, but beforehand she had already told my son how they were planning to get things done. Any time there’s even a hint of a problem, she calls my son and tells him about it, and obviously, only from her point of view.
I’m afraid irreparable damage has been done to our relationship, and I don’t know what to do. I have no other relatives. Please advise. DEAR BROKENHEARTED >> I’m sorry you are brokenhearted, but with time your broken heart will heal. From your description of her, your sister appears to be overbearing and looselipped. Unless you are willing to live according to her rules, what you should do is hire someone to help you unpack and begin cultivating adjust. Sometimes they don’t want to. In that case, if the change is something you really want, it’s fundamental that you change up the people who are around you, too.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Go ahead and say what’s on your mind. You never know how it will land, and your luck will be pretty uncanny. Observations that would seem to be apropos of nothing might actually be germane to the main issue.
Capricorn (Dec. 22Jan. 19): Words come in and out of fashion, get overused and start to mean something different or perhaps nothing relationships outside the family that are less high-maintenance than the one you have with your sister. If you do, I’m sure you will be much happier. at all. “Love” is one word that never gets old. Even if the meaning changes for you, it will never disappear.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.
18): Just like the expanding universe, you are never static. Even when you’re still, you’re doing something. In today’s case, the stillness leads to a burst of productivity this evening, followed by a round of applause. Pisces (Feb. 19-March
20): The person who loves you will think of you today when things are going well, when they’re not, when there’s something interesting, when there’s nothing to do — basically all the livelong day.