Dear Eric: I have a friend who is driving me and other friends to the brink with her persistent negativity. This has been going on for years but is much worse lately.
We are all retired, and this friend is substantially better off financially than the rest of us. Despite this, everything is a litany of “poor me” and nonstop negativity. No one else has suffered grievous losses as she has (we have). No one else is as burdened with problems as she is (we have our own issues, and deal with them). No one experiences as much pain, suffering, loss, misfortune or tragedy as she does.
Literally every conversation ends up being her listing a multitude of problems, all featuring her as the victim. When we try to gently point out that they are financially secure, or have many blessings to be grateful for, it’s just a doorway to yet more complaining, whining and “poor me.”…