Been there, done that and survived. Very rarely have I picked friends who are interested in me. The good ones then move to a different job or area, we lose touch and so it goes on.

Now have acquaintances but nothing more, because I'm totally fed up of so called friends who only want me for someone to lean on.

One comes to mind. Totally absorbed in herself and her family. When I mentioned how well my niece was doing at school, she interrupted to counter with her girls' good exam results. We got friendly at work, then I noticed how often she was shunned by other colleagues. One even asked me why I was friendly with her. Then the bad language started; very frequent "f" bombs.

When I left she didn't contact me for eight months, then we had a chance meeting in the local shopping centre. I was not welcoming. Did I feel guilty, a bit. Then I thought about how one-sided the friendship had been.

Lesson learned, now hope to be able to pick friends who accept me for who I am not who they think I should be. Don't be afraid to ditch so-called friends. If they are genuine, they will understand you!