Dear Ask Ashlee,
I recently discovered that a group of women I thought were my friends are actually not. I am hurt and I feel completely betrayed, but more than anything I feel like a fool. I have always looked out for these women; I have invested a lot of time and energy into a sisterhood that I should have walked away from a long time ago. Now, I don’t even want to start over with a group of friends because I am just so over the concept of “friendship”. No one takes it seriously these days and everything seems like it is just a showoff for social media. I like my time alone, but I wish I had real friends in my life, so this pain didn’t hurt as much.
The Fool
Dear Anonymous,
So, here’s the thing, I refuse to call you a fool, even if that is how you are currently identifying yourself. The reality is you are not a fool, you are no different from the many women who have gone through what you have, and you are still worth the time, effort, love and care that you desire. As you go throughout life you realize how much you grow and change as a person. While this growth can be beautiful and scary at the time, you also have to come to terms with the fact that you have outgrown people and vice versa. Will it hurt? Sometimes yes, especially if you didn’t see it coming. However, I encourage you to change your perspective. Could it be possible that you are losing certain individuals in your life so that there is space and room for new ones that are going to be just as committed to your journey of personal growth and development as you are? Any time there is a sense of “loss” happening in our lives, never forget the concept that you will still inevitably “gain” something even more beautiful. It just takes time. I hope this helps!
Love & Light,
Ash
I really like response to reader about true friendship. It was genuine and sincere. I think we all have been victim of a false friendship.