Dealing with bad friends

A while back a posted about a dilemna involving an ex-friend and asked for feedback on how to deal with her regarding a silly rumor her family seems to have started about me. I received some really good feedback, particularly from people that know both myself and the party in question, yes - including my mom. I have come to the decision that this friend is basically not in my 'lifetime' category.

At the risk of sounding childish, I will mention that email that everyone has seen, regarding people that come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime. Not everyone that we meet falls into the lifetime category, and this has been a particularly painful experience for me up until now, for some reason. I had always prided myself on my ability to make and sustain friendships for the long term, until recently. I now realize that a relationship can not be sustained by one person alone, no matter the person and no matter the circumstances. Some, indeed most, people are meant to be there for the short term, either for a reason or a season.

Back to the ex-friend - and I want to make sure that I don't sound petty or over-reactive here. Obviously there have been other events that have precipitated the falling out and led to whatever bad feelings there might be between us, and this bit was just the last straw for me. I had tried reasoning with her a few times, and just seemed to keep meeting a brick wall of resistance. She is a fun friend, and we come from similar communities - I'm not sure if that contributes to my stupidity in holding on to that ridiculous one-way relationship for so long, but I can only guess what my reasoning was at that time. When you're young you do stupid things, and we were young when we met, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

At this point I've decided to just cut her off. I pray for forgiveness, but I really want forgetness first, to make a reference to "The Hills" and the great Lauren/Heidi argument. Just make her go away, please! No references to her, no "how is she doing", I think I just want to forget the fact of her existness - my life will be better for it.

I decided to write about this subject as it has been a long standing issue for me, and so maybe someone else can get some clarity from my experiences. I seem to have had several of these issues with friends and former friends, especially lately with this illness and the move. If I can keep one of you from experiencing some of the pain, it's worth it!

Do any of you have similar experiences? If so, I'd love to hear about them. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the decision I made. Is it the healthy choice, escapism, or maybe just what works best for me? I would love to hear your comments and feedback!

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your day!
Amy