
How many of you out there have that friend – we all have one, I’m sure – that is a wonderful friend, a good friend, but somehow always manages to carry an air of drama with them…
Let me explain. I first met this particular lady about three years ago, and although by nature I am quite solitary and don’t actively court friendship, I felt a natural affinity to this lady, as she did me, and from a few tentative ‘hello’s’ we developed a friendship. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a genuinely nice person, caring, funny, a good friend to have, but on every occasion I have spent any length of time with her my day afterwards has gone steadily downhill. Nothing major, just a series of little incidents that all coalesce to make what set off to be a good or at least an ordinary day into something you’re glad to see the back of by the time you climb into your bed and seek refuge under the duvet.
I’ve heard enough about “psychic vampires” to be aware of the steps to take to “protect” yourself against them – I am generally rattling with crystals and surrounded by an aura of essential oils – patchouli is my favourite at the moment – besides which I am usually quite a cheerful person. But it doesn’t seem to matter where we meet or how long we are together, the day spirals steadily downwards after our meeting.
The worst incident culminated – indirectly through her – with me having an enormous row with my partner, triggering my first ever migraine attack and a worrying spike in my blood pressure which had my concerned doctor monitoring me for a week.
After that, I am afraid to say I consciously avoided my friend, shocked as I was by the fallout and attachments she carried with her, like tin cans tied to the tail of a stray dog…
Perhaps I am just not a very good friend to have, but I met someone else who regarded her in somewhat of the same light, and we agreed the title of “storm crow” was an apt description. Apparently the tradition of seeing crows as harbingers of misfortune may have its origins in Greek mythology, where a crow brought bad news to Apollo and he turned its feathers black in punishment…
So then. What to do when faced with a friend like this… run stealthily away (roaring optional) arm yourself with the power of positive thinking…or chuck a handful of birdseed at them?