Another Toxic Friendship

You would think after being burned once by a toxic friend that one would have enough sense to stay clear of folks who even have the slightest indication that they may be toxic. Too bad it's not that easy as we may not always be able to detect toxicity in a friendship until the damage has been done, however; there are often warning signs, some more subtle than others.

Even after being burned once, we often times ignore the warning signs in hopes that our new friendship will better than the last one. It is that hope that overshadows our common sense and leads us down the road of toxicity once again.

Within the last couple of weeks, several of my acquaintances have informed me that they had be burned once again by a person who they thought was their friend but in light of their recent actions; had proved otherwise.

The one lady who I will call Lisa (not her real name), admitted that this was the third time she had been burned by someone whom she considered to be a good friend. They were supposed to be working on project together but Lisa's friend decided she would go ahead and do something that would put her one step above her. Of course she informed Lisa after the fact. Needless to say, Lisa was very upset and felt like she had been betrayed by her friend. I must admit I felt her pain as I had also been betrayed by my former toxic best friend in the very same way. Lisa's friend was trying to be one up on her as was mine.

Lisa was able to overcome the hurt momentarily so that she could focus on moving forward with her project on her own. In the end, she landed a better deal than her friend.