#1
His name was Dusty. He was a golden retriever, and he was the best boy ever. I would play fetch with him for hours until he would nearly pass out at my feet. Dusty was amazing! I loved him.
One day, I go over to Dale's house, and I say "Where's Dusty?" He answers "Oh, I gave him back to the shelter."
Me ~ "F**k! Why??!?!"
Dale ~ "I only got him so that I could meet girls easier, and now that I'm married I don't need him anymore. Besides, having a dog is a lot of responsibility."
Me ~ "But you knew how I felt about him. WHY didn't you ask me? I would have gladly adopted him!"
Dale ~ "You know, I never even thought of that."
I left immediately and drove to the shelter. Dusty had already found a new home. So, I'm sad and glad in the same moment.
F**k you, Dale. You're a d**k and I'm glad your wife finally divorced your selfish a*s.
To find out how this conversation began in the first place, we got in touch with the Reddit user who started this thread, Throwbackblue. They revealed that they were inspired to start this conversation after seeing multiple friendships end over small differences. "But then I would see similar conflicts in other friendships, and they would stay friends," they told Bored Panda.
As for why they believe ending a friendship is so painful, the OP shared, "Because a lot of people rely on their friendships for emotional support. Also, a lot of people feel like they let themselves down because they should have seen it coming."
#2
My husband ended up suddenly being diagnosed with brain cancer. The day he was released from the hospital after having a tumor the size of a lemon removed, I called in a prescription he needed and our local pharmacy didn't have it so I would have to drive an hour round trip and my husband wasn't able to handle that amount of time in the car so I called to ask if she could stay with him while I got his meds. She told me no because she wanted to go to the store with her boyfriend. I called my neighbor and she watched him.
I never talked to her again. It's been almost 10 years.
Next, we asked Throwbackblue what they thought of the replies to their post. "From what I read, a lot of times people's friendships end because of their perception of their friends," they shared. "They believe their friends are a certain way, and when they finally see another side of them, they feel betrayed."
"I feel like people should always be open to understanding that humans have many layers to them," the author continued. "Just because your perception of your friend changed doesn't mean you can't give them grace and remain friends."
#3
To learn more about friendships and why they sometimes need to come to an end, we got in touch with Olivia Brouillette-Wardhono, Founder, Lead Psychologist and Integrative Somatic Practitioner at Therapy With Olivia. First, we wanted to know what being a good friend means to her.
"That's something I've found myself asking throughout periods of my life. And, just like with everything, what it means to be a good friend depends on the person, but we can look at the general idea of a good friend, and what makes us feel good within our friendships," Olivia shared.
"A good friend is someone you feel safe with, secure with, someone you can depend on when you need and you would offer the same to them; they're the people in your life where you get just as much as you give, and you will always be there for them like they would be there for you," the therapist explained. "It's great when a friend shares similar interests and values, but even if you don't, there's equal respect for one another."
#4
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#6
So how do we know when a friendship has run its course?
"Each person will have a different idea of when any relationship needs to come to an end, but here are some common things I see in friendships (or any relationship) that ends," Olivia says. "Disrespect; lack of shared interests/things that kept the bond strong, or lack of respect for each other's interests; lying or hiding things from one another; a lack of trust and safety with the person; and, of course, any time there is violence between two people (verbal, emotional, physical, doesn't really matter – once you cross that line, it's incredibly difficult to come back from it)."
#7
We entered into a business together and he completely screwed me over, taking most of the money with him, and leaving me in crushing debt.
Years later I asked why he did it. His answer; "Because you're an atheist. You rejected god, so you deserve everything you get."
And that, was that.
#8
#9
She sure wears that p***y hat and feminist sweatshirt proudly. .
We also asked Olivia why ending a friendship is often so painful.
"I think friendship breakups hurt way more than a romantic relationship breakup," she told Bored Panda. "Generally speaking, I think that's because we don't usually think that a friendship will come to an end, as we may with romantic relationships."
"We expect for us to make long lasting friendships, expecting our friends to be with us through thick and thin, in a way we don't expect from anyone else. We share things with friends that we wouldn't share with family or partners; we create bonds that dependent on shared interest and care for each other, with no expectations towards one another," the therapist explained. "So, when a friendship comes to an end, it almost feels like a death. And usually, our brains can't really tell the difference in grief. So in a way, it is like mourning a death."
#10
#11
#12
My friend didn't like that I was getting a lot of attention from our other friends and people in our small town. She decides to go around school and lie to people, saying I was lying about being sick and just wanted attention.
When I was finally getting better and was actually home for more then a few days she came over with a few of her friends and was laughing trying to embarrass me infront of them trying to get me to say I was infact lying about being sick.
Wasn't until I pulled out all the meds I was on and proved that I was yellowish in the skin (it was f*****g obvious when you actually looked at my eyes)
I Embarrassed her infront of everyone she cried and played victim. Ran out the house and I haven't talked to her since.
Bit sad bc we wore friends since kindergarten, but I igs that's what jealousy does to people so 🤷♀️🤷♀️.
If you're going through a friendship breakup, Olivia recommends letting your grief out without judgement. "Any time anything comes to an end, including relationships that needed to end, there will be pain. That's just a natural, human experience," she shared.
"But that sadness and grief happens only when we have deep love and care towards someone or something. If you're dealing with a friendship breakup, you're allowed to be hurt and sad, it just shows how much you love and care for that person and that relationship," Olivia continued. "Lean on the people that you do have in your life and try to focus on surrounding yourself with love. Take care of yourself like you would if you were going through a breakup with a partner."
#13
#14
#15
I got a transplant and I’m all better now, but I’m quite lonely and sad.
"It's important to remember that, like any relationship, friendships take work to maintain and to feel good for both people involved," Olivia added. "It can take time to build a strong, meaningful connection with others, and just because it may take time with a friend does not mean that friendship isn't 'good' for you. And it's super normal to have disagreements – you don't have to agree with everything a friend says in order to stay friends. But as long as you share similar values, a friendship can withstand a lot."
#16
She blamed me for an ambulance showing up to her apartment for a wellness check and said I overreacted.
#17
#18
To this day I consider them my greatest childhood friend. But I don’t think our friendship was made to last into adulthood from the beginning. That’s life tho.
#19
