question about email

[orek]

No response is always frustrating. It just goes against protocol, let alone feeling unbalanced in the effort department. Friendships are two-way and have to feel for both parties that there's a sufficient amount of give and take. Maybe you can reach a compromise with this friend. If s/he is very busy, then s/he might feel too overwhelmed by the number and/or content to feel able to reply to each. Perhaps it's just easier not to reply at all than pick and choose. Maybe you can agree to send, say, one a day, and in return, the friend would agree to at least acknowledge the email, even if s/he doesn't have time for a lengthy reply. Then you would still feel that connection and feel you have a chance to communicate whatever you are needing to communicate, but then you're also acknowledging the friend's needs and time constraints so that s/he feels heard, too. I don't think you need to cut off this avenue of support entirely--unless the friend won't negotiate and you are left in this limbo. If this friend is important, then I encourage you to try to work out some compromise that works for both of you--and you two can figure out what that should look like. Good luck!--orek