You're very welcome, Rose. I just hope you can heal from that relationship and perhaps keep an opened-mind in case she tries to call or text in the future. It sounds like you have good enough boundaries to stay safe. It's not that we can't have friends like that in our lives, but rather that we can limit our time with them to keep ourselves safe and hopefully set a good example for them to improve in the future. We all need improvements, and we essentially all learn from one another on how to improve ourselves and our relationships. No one is perfect. But there are some who are not healthy, and they choose to remain unhealthy. That then puts other people at risk when they take too many risks. So, it's not outright rejecting them, but rather it's setting boundaries and being open to a good future but realistic enough to self-protect.

I'm learning that the hard way with some of my friends.

I have a friend in Chicago who has the symptoms of Covid but refuses to get tested or get the booster. He also wants to see if he feels better in a couple of days so that he can go to a restaurant with his friends. He spends a lot of time in the gym, and he only wears surgical masks. He never masks outside, and he only masks when he sees others (without realizing that his virus could linger in the air indoors for hours). I try to explain to him - an educated man with a degree higher than mine - what the science says, but he claims that "I don't live in fear" crap. He's in his late-50s and very fit with no underlying conditions, so he's one of those who ignores all the safety precautions. It irks me and worries me at the same time. But he made that choice. I could never trust him with health stuff or health advice, and I certainly am glad that I'm not his neighbor anymore. He does it for non-political reasons, too. He's more of an independent than anything else, and he's an Asian minority. It's just mind-boggling how people are. I limit my time talking with him to about once a month, just to check in. It used to be weekly until I kept hearing about his exposure in the gym and elsewhere. He also hosts many events with those of his age and older. It's not safe, and this is how the virus spreads!

Anyway, I won't just end the friendship, but I will limit my time with hearing things that really bother me because it could mean life and death to his neighbors, including my friend and his wife who live in his building and take the same elevator. I worry for them because one of them is overweight and might have underlying issues.

That's one example of maintaining a friendship, stating your values, cautioning your friend, and then hearing how that person's mind won't be changed at all. Its' sad, but the only thing we can do is distance ourselves from hearing upsetting news like that. It's tantamount to someone telling you that they are going to do illicit drugs every night. That's how it feels when I hear these people go about their daily lives without boosting, without masking, and/or without vaccinating.