Ask Amy: ‘Right person, wrong time’ needs translating
Threatening to block you on social media means, “I am breaking up with you. Don’t attempt to communicate with me. If I’m interested in reviving our relationship, I’ll get in touch with you.”
It is terrible, awful, and so heartbreaking to be left behind, especially after a passionate crashing together that felt perfect at the time. But you are both young. Your relationship might have burned too brightly. Over the course of two months, you two cycled through several months’ worth of dynamics.
Please, take time to regroup. Breakups can be devastating, but they can also lead to personal insight. Next time go slow.
Keep in mind this (somewhat cheesy) saying that actually helped me to recover from my own long-ago divorce: If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, they never were.”
Dear Amy: One of my good professional colleagues is named Karen.
She is thoughtful, conscientious, and considerate. She is the very opposite of the racist and demanding “Karen” stereotype that is getting so much flak and attention right now.
When she isn’t present in meetings, colleagues make “Karen” jokes, which I always try to shoot down, but it still feels awful.
Somehow, it seems worse, since these remarks come from my other colleagues who fancy themselves to be liberal and inclusive.
Recently, Karen really helped me out by preventing me from making a rather costly and potentially serious professional error.
Now I am feeling doubly guilty. Is there anything else I can do to improve the situation and stop the stupid jokes?
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