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The Sorry/Not Sorry Breakup
An Amusing Anecdote
Schadenfreude. We all have it sometimes. Some more than others, some times more often than others. It’s common enough that most of us are familiar with the term by the time we’re in junior high. It’s a fun word, since it’s the actual combination of the German words “schaden,” meaning damage or harm, and “freude,” meaning joy.
Taking joy in someone’s damage or harm? Not the healthiest thing to think day-to-day, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun now and again.
And hey, we all do it.
So to give context, I’ll share the following recent phone conversation:
Old friend: “I ran into your ex a few days ago.”
Me: “Yeah?”
Old friend: “Mm hmm. He told me about the new house.”
Me: “Yeah. I’m glad he finally got a place. This market is rough.”
Old friend: “It sounds nice. He said it’s in the suburbs.”
Me: “I think so, yes. Big change.”
Old friend: “I made the mistake of asking if he was still with the same girlfriend.”
Me: “Oops.”
Old friend: “Yeah, well, when he said ‘no,’ and I said, ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I’m not!’”
Uproarious laughter ensues, old friend and I move on to talking about our kids, the rest of our lives, our summer plans, the price of gas, and soon say toodle-oo.
