Birthdays are often big events because they symbolize a person making it through another year and overcoming all the obstacles that came their way. It's a time when people can sit back and enjoy being celebrated by those who love them.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets that kind of support on their birthdays. The woman in this story is a prime example of that, as she had planned a wonderful 30th birthday party and got ghosted by many of her closest friends at the last moment. So, she decided to treat them the same way.
More info: Reddit
Getting stood up by the people you love on your birthday is one of the worst feelings
Image credits: Diana Reyes / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that, in her twenties, she had a great group of friends, and even when she moved away from them, they all kept in touch
Image credits: Tony Pham / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The woman had always been a source of support for many of her friends, which is why, on her 30th birthday, she expected a lot of them to attend her party
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
She spent more than two months organizing a themed 30th birthday party and shared that all of her friends seemed hyped up about the event
Image credits: Pablo Merchán Montes / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
On the day of the actual party, cancellations started rolling in, with some people giving excuses and others saying they were at a music festival with her ex
Image credits: Renny Gamarra / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Only three people showed up for her party, so she went out with them, but as for the rest—she deleted them from her socials and ghosted those who reached out later
Image credits: deleted
The woman did eventually reach out to a few friends who had ghosted her and shared how she needed them to support her, just as she had done for them
The poster had shared that when she had lived in the same area as her best friends, they met almost daily and were very close. After she moved away, she was mainly the one to reach out or offer support to anyone who needed it. In fact, she was considered to be their “go-to” person no matter what.
According to experts, good friends who are empathetic and supportive are often at risk of being taken advantage of. They might end up in one-sided friendships where they constantly provide their time, effort, and resources, only to receive no support back when they are truly in need.
The woman only realized how unfair her friendships were when she planned her 30th birthday party. She spent two months excitedly planning the event, its theme, and sending out invites to her loved ones. Her besties seemed thrilled about the party and ready to celebrate this big occasion with her.
There are very few milestone birthdays in a person’s life, and the 30th is definitely one of them. It’s important because it symbolizes a turning point in an individual’s life when they move on from their youth into early adulthood. This is the time when they might get married, start a family, or set up their own home.
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The woman realized too late that hardly any of her friends were coming to her party. They all sent in half-hearted cancellation messages, and nobody apologized to her for missing her special event. She felt truly heartbroken over this and couldn’t believe that her friends would ghost her in such a way.
The poster soon realized that she’d never do something like this to her friends. She had always been there for them and made an effort to stay in touch, whereas they never did the same for her. This mass-ghosting really showed everyone’s true colors, which is why she decided to delete all of them from her socials.
When it becomes apparent that a close relationship is one-sided, it’s important to set boundaries and communicate as soon as possible. This means confronting the person about their flakiness and showing that you won’t accept such behavior anymore.
The woman decided to do just that and eventually contacted a few of her close friends to share her feelings. She told them that she wanted her friendships to be more balanced so that it wasn’t just her reaching out all the time, and that they also should make the first move once in a while. This conversation showed her who actually valued her and who didn’t.
Do you think the woman did the right thing by standing up to the friends who ghosted her? Tell us what you would have done if this happened to you.
People sympathized with the poster, but some felt that her friends didn’t attend her event because of how complex her theme was
