Angela and Penny,
First, Angela, thank you. No, I didn't know what you were doing but it should have occurred to me. As it turns out, it may have been your failure to explain it in the beginning that helped me the most. I did what you said and examined myself instead of my friend.
After reading your last post, I went back and re-read your previous posts and wondered why I felt threatened by your messages. (Yes, you were right about that, too.
) I pondered that for a few days and have determined that I seem to be threatened by things I don't understand. (Odd. I didn't know that about myself.) So I wondered if that was my problem with my friend; I don't understand the changes she's making and feel threatened by it. So, thanks again. You've helped me more than you know.
Next, Penny, thank you for your response. I do indeed intend to talk with my friend but my approach will be different now. I'm no longer concerned about her, I'm mad at her.
(Isn't it great that we can be mad at friend and still love them?)
I mean really, here's my friend who, for three weeks in a row, has taken off work early just so she could sit in my seat! Surely she should have known that I'd have a reaction to that. Did she care? Apparently not. Did she care what my reaction would be? I guess not. So, now I intend to ask her how she thinks I feel about the new seating arrangment. If her answer is that she doesn't know, my next question will be whether she intends to ask me. After all, if she intends to be my friend she's just going to have to get used to caring about how I feel.
Of course I may not be mad at her tomorrow. Or it may be that I'm even more mad at her tomorrow, in which case I'll just make her get out of my chair.
Silly