Thank you for the kind thoughts. I think they helped. When I said, "I'm about to," it was literally just about to happen. It was painful and there were tears, but it's all ok now. Both the business relationship and the friendship are intact.

And I got what I wanted, but there's absolutely no joy in that. She made it clear she wasn't happy about it. To try to explain a little, I have started a business with a relative who is also one of my best friends. I like to be organized and have a plan and she's a frantic, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person. Not to mention the fact that she is always late. Professionally, she gets things done on time, but it's always in a mad rush. Today, I just HAD to tell her that while I can adapt to that on a personal level, I can't do it on a professional one.

It was a really hard thing to do because I didn't want her to think I wanted her to change who she is. Her craziness is part of her charm. I pretty much told her that I adapted to her on a personal level and if we were going to be linked on a professional level, I needed her to adapt to me there.