So the latest news in my usually quiet life, is that in a week and a half, I’m going to London, UK with my two best girlfriends! Charmed life. One of those two, let’s call her I, is lucky enough to own a London apartment that she has now not lived in for over ten years. How lucky are we! I kid you not. To top that off, her mother is a flight attendant and can therefore by flying with us get us all a deep discount on the flight. Basically, it is an amazing opportunity, since there is no guarantee I will ever again get such cheap flights to Britain.
There is one small catch: the kind of catch worth blogging about, I think. This particular catch (not including the other catch which is that our third best girlfriend may be unable to take time off work and come with us) is that my other best friend, let’s call her L, has a bit of a control problem, at times. As well as currently a money problem. Basically what this means for me is frequent frantic phone calls, slightly stressing about how much time she should take off work, when we’re going to plan this, freaking out, etc. The problem arose when last night I realized that if we were to do this trip, and she were to be stressed, anxious, rushed and broke the entire time, she would likely be cranky. Which would make me cranky. Which would make I overcompensate and try to keep the peace (which gets annoying in itself). Which would make the trip unenjoyable for all. We had a lengthy phone argument, which resulted in L getting extremely upset and hanging up on me. So. I feel extremely bad about it, because I can’t blame her for being stressed. It’s stressful!
I am now faced with the current situation. There is no backing out of this trip, not that I really want to, and yet I also do not wish to be rushed or complained to for a week abroad. So what to do, what to do. Since I know my friends so well, I know the best policy is likely proactiveness, setting rules, setting out a plan in case of conflict. Planning out what we want to do when, so as not to create problems in the moment. Deciding exactly where everyone wants to go and making sacrifices based on those decisions, so that everyone is happy. Putting agreements in place to ensure no unnecessary arguments. Showing up with a smile on my face and a positive attitude, ready to compromise and stand my ground, not get aggressive or angry, not get moody and enjoy myself no matter what. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity after all!
..Easier said than done.
Wish me luck!
S.
