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DEAR HARRIETTE: My best friend of many years recently approached me about becoming her roommate. Although I agreed, I’m starting to regret it.
She is making it very difficult for us to find a place to rent due to the sheer number of restrictions she is placing on our search. We couldn’t find anything within our price range that matches your list of essentials, from office proximity to desired room size. It seems the more we research, the harder it is for us to agree on anything.
I don’t want to hurt my friend’s feelings by telling her I don’t think it’s going to work, but I also don’t want to regret my decision in the future. I would like to continue my apartment search without her.
How should I handle this without hurting our friendship?
Moving
DEAR CHANGING: The best thing you can do is sort this out now, before you sign a contract.
Living with someone is a huge commitment and shouldn’t be one-sided. Your description makes it sound like all the requirements come from your friend.
And you? What do you want? Have you and she considered your wishes? If you don’t assert yourself now, chances are she’ll still be just as demanding when you move out.
Trust your gut. Tell her that you’d rather preserve the friendship than move in together, so you want to give up the apartment hunt.
She might be mad at first, but trust her that it’s better to upset her a bit now than to get stuck in a binding relationship later on.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I work for a company that still requires employees to take a weekly COVID-19 test.
I understand; the disease has not yet gone away and may never go away completely. I have friends who recently purchased. So, in theory, I have no problem doing a weekly test.
My problem is that my company expects employees to pay for them. The price increases over time and it’s not like I get a big paycheck.
There are some places where you can get free trials, but they are inconvenient. There used to be tons of them out there, but now they’re harder to find.
I think it’s unreasonable for my company to require testing without providing a way for all of us to do it safely and free of charge. If they had them in the office the same way they have masks, it might just be part of office protocol. Dare I make that recommendation?
free trial
DEAR FREE TRIAL: Either way, talk to your supervisor or even the business owner if you have a relationship and make your recommendation.
Express your concerns about cost and convenience. Also, point out that the company will have better control over when employees take the test if it takes place onsite.
If you feel that leadership will not appreciate your suggestion, please do so anonymously. You might even want to encourage others to speak up and share their opinions. If many of you say something, the way to enforce the protocol may change.
Harriette Cole is a life stylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You may send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
#demands #worried #sharing #apartment
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