The friends are a double-edged sword. They haven't lived what I've lived or seen my partner alone with me at home, so they take what she says at face value and see what they see now, and judge, sometimes harshly of her and/or of me. "Throw her stuff on the lawn and change the locks!" Uh, no. That's not me, and this is still someone I care about. Because they feel betrayed as well, they may not be as objective as I'd need. They want me to stop hurting, so they tell me to just give up and get onto the next thing--as you know, easier said than done, and not necessarily my ultimate goal. A bit of broken telephone is going on, and could be adding fuel to the fire. That's why I'm talking less to my "live" friends, and more to my virtual ones. At least that way there are fewer chances to have anything misinterpreted and repeated.
"In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage." -- Robert Anderson
