Monday, July 07, 2008

Am I paranoid?

A woman I work with told me I am paranoid today. I don't think so, but maybe I have overreacted. So, you guys (my whole like 1 1/2 readers) get to tell me whether I am overboard.

A little history of what this all came from:

I am the lone single girl in a group of friends from high school. All of these friends are guys and most are married. With each new marriage, I made it a point to tell the guy that I wasn't his friend anymore. I was either his wife's friend or not in the picture. I thought that it was best for everyone that this line be set. Now, these are all guys that I have known since we were 15 or 16 years old. I am not attracted to any of these guys at all. BUT why would I ever let someone's wife wonder? I have set up all kinds of "crazy" rules for this:

1. I don't spend time alone with someone's husband.

2. I (for the most part) make plans with the couple through the wife.

3. I do NOT become friends on myspace or facebook with old boyfriends who are now married.
If I want to stay in contact with their families, I am friends with their wives.

4. I limit conversations with married men. I do not confide in them or talk to them one-on-one for any length of time.

5. One of the first things I learn about a man I meet is whether or not he is married. If I know from the beginning, there is NO misunderstanding. Also, until told otherwise, I assume I am dealing with someone's husband (If he isn't, he will probably be someday, right?).

Okay, so today, one of my coworkers (a very married man) asked if I wanted to go with him to eat lunch. This was a completely innocent request. I do not question his intentions at all. He simply knew that I was about to leave for lunch and wanted to know if I wanted to walk across to the cafeteria at work with him. This would have been a completely public thing. We would not have been in a car alone; we would have been eating in a public place. I told him I couldn't today and left it at that.

I am sure there would be no damage from grabbing lunch, but I just didn't think it was right to go with him. I have met his wife. I have actually joined them for lunch a few times. She would not think anything of it (most likely). I just don't want anyone to ever doubt my intentions with her husband.

Well, I talked to my coworker (who is married) about it after he left. I thought she would see it the same way. She told me it was ridiculous and paranoid. I asked her if she would appreciate someone going to lunch with her husband. She said she trusts him and would not care. I don't know.

It seemed like I was being wise to put all these rules in place, but am I just paranoid?

2 comments:

Rachel Cobb said...

no. You are not paranoid. As a married person, you MUST set boundaries. Otherwise, some situations can become too comfortable. That is how temptation arrises. I think it is so admirable for you to set these boundaries now. Good for you. This woman at work is too comfortable. I trust my husband too, but I wouldn't want him to ride in a car with another woman by himself, or eat lunch in a cafeteria. I'm just sayin...I don't think anyone PLANS to cheat on his/her spouse.

Hope said...

Well, this did also come from the woman who said I have too high of standards for the guys I will date. I mean, really?