Almost 40 years ago I became very good friends with a woman and we have remained friends through it all. Babies, raising kids, navigating life in general.

Things were going along quite well until the last election. She despises anything Trump to the point of refusing to stand for the anthem. If anyone mentions anything related to a Trump policy or behavior it is like unleashing the Tasmanian devil. Her glass has not become half empty, it is totally empty. It has affected her entire life. Her husband can do no right, she criticizes everyone and everything, nothing is right. Yesterday I saw her for the first time in a month and she said some very insulting things to me. It’s like she has gone crazy. And she actually went to counseling but quit saying it did her no good.

so obviously I avoid her. I dislike many of the Trump policies, especially this tweeting, mocking and bullying stuff, but this is my country and if I don’t like it I feel a responsibility to work to make it right. But I refuse to make him the focus of every waking minute, I stand and sing the anthem and say the pledge of allegiance (I live in a senior community and we do that stuff a lot here. ) I have tremendous respect for our military, and our country. I respect our election process, even though it has flaws, compared to the rest of the world it is great. We need work on immigration, healthcare, our black teen to prison pipeline, our out of control gun deaths, and so on. We are far from perfect

So after almost fourty years I feel such a chasm between us. I feel a lot of sadness but gentle responses to her are worthless. I am heartbroken, but she is almost embarrassing to be around. Her beliefs are so rigid and very far left now and she blames all of our ills on Trump. There is plenty of blame to go around both parties at all levels.
so I didn’t want to make this a political post, but rather one of dealing with a friend I don’t want to lose, but I feel we have irreconcilable differences. More of a mourning for things lost.