Trust the wee Irish lass to come up with such a scheme! I can just imagine the looks on their faces!
Thanks so much for interjecting some much needed humor here.
Love ya, kcmo rose
At Wed, 31 Jul 2002, Mary Wade wrote:
>
>Rose--It's so hard to read this. Dealing with the physical pain is
>enough without having to deal with types of rejection from friends and
>family.
>
>I came up with a new reporting policy to deal with all the
>concerns/comments regarding "how are you doing?" requests from others.
>So often, those discussion have lead down paths that only added more
>frustration to my life. The reactions to the new reporting policy have
>been very amusing...at least to me :)))) Here's the new Mary Policy.
>Once a year, I will sit down with a member of my beloved extended family
>and tell them anything they want to know about my health. I have no
>secrets. Then, if anyone...family or friends....ask probing questions
>or start giving advice, I just say (with a lot of humor and a twinkle in
>my eye), "I only give health updates once a year to a representative
>from my extended family. Here's the number to call. Feel free to ask
>her anything you want. If you need surgical or medical reports, we can
>arrange to get those to you." It is a bit of a smart-mouth type of
>approach...but geee.....I'm having fun with it and I really like having
>a reprieve from those difficult interactions.
>
>At Tue, 30 Jul 2002, rowdyladyrose@aol.com wrote:
>>
>>I have just experienced this loss...I had only thought I was being
>>paranoid, but my brother-in-law inadvertently let the cat out of the bag
>>this last weekend.
>>
>>For some time now, one set of our friends (a couple) have had all sorts
>>of excuses for not spending time with us...working on house, sick pets,
>>family gatherings, etc. For the most part they have been believable. A
>>couple of times we were suspicious, like when we asked to use another
>>friend's lake house only to learn that that couple had already asked to
>>use it at that time...normally we all 4 go together and ask as a group
>>for the time, planning menus and outings, etc. Well, we ended up going
>>with them...but I now think it is only because we found out they were
>>going and our other friend mentioned it to them.
>>We used to be so close that you never saw one couple without the other.
>>
>>This last weekend, we were told that they would be busy...he was going
>>to be working on the house, she was going to be running around with her
>>sister. Instead, they had plans to spend the afternoon with my
>>brother-in-law and cook out. Now we don't know what to do or say...I've
>>gotten the impression before that neither one of them believe that my
>>pain or conditions are real. She always makes a point about one of her
>>other friends continuing to work after a car wreck left her partially
>>disabled. (Sheila's conditions are physically apparent)
>>
>>My husband just wants to cut them off...he's really angry, especially
>>since I said it was probably because of me. I've been tempted to write
>>them a letter, asking that if it is me and my problems putting them off,
>>not to punish my husband because of me. My husband suffers enough
>>having to see me in pain and not be able to do anything about it.
>>
>>Thanks for letting me blubber on.
>>
>>kcmo rose
>
>--
>Mary Wade
>