Almost inevitably, somewhere along the path of our friendships, we are fated to stumble upon one of the most paradoxical yet universal of characters: the envious friend.
At one level, this person is kind, sympathises with us in our sorrows and believes that they want the best for us.
Yet, despite such salutary affections, we may not be able to overlook some more troubling dynamics shimmering beneath the surface: When we invite them for dinner, they repeatedly 'forget' to say thank you.
When we have a new partner, they don't appear overly pleased.
When we get a new job, they don't ask us a single question about how its going.
The situation is as wounding as it is uncharted.
How are we going to cope?
Can this be happening to us?
A few ways forward suggest themselves.
Firstly, we shouldn't ever compound the matter by denying that it might exist or wonder for too long whether we might be imagining things.
