[Lost Dog]

On Saturday, I helped a friend move out of her house. She's getting divorced and needed help.

Before Saturday, she was basically a friend of a friend. I'd only met her, along with a group, a few weeks ago at a party. At the party, everybody and their brother had volunteered to help her, yet I was the only one to show up.

It's not her. She's very nice and was obviously one of the favorites in the group. I'm sure everyone had a "good" excuse, but we didn't talk about it. Highlighting her friends' decisions to not help her move would only make her feel worse, I think.

When I separated and moved out, I had the same thing happen to me. I had volunteers offer to help me, yet on that day, they all had the kids, needed to get a big project done for work, vacation, didn't answer the phone, sick, etc. Some excuses might certainly have been valid. Only they really know.

In my case, I thought it was me. But since then, I've heard and seen this phenomenon with several other friends on "moving out" days. I think it's the awkwardness of the divorce/separation. You're helping someone in a situation where it might become awkward and emotional; that's why you don't go. But that's why you should go, instead.

Your friend needs you. Even if all you feel like you're doing is moving a box from point A to point B, what you're actually doing is letting your friend know that they have friends that care. Even in hard and awkward times.