Wheelie and I don’t have that much to do with each other now, since he stopped volunteering. We just exchange the odd joke by email. Occasionally though, he’ll ask me for news and I fall for it. Why do I even engage with this person who gets a kick out of one-upping me with hurtful and insulting remarks. I’m not seeing the funny side any more. Some of the things he comes out with get me so riled and defensive, I overreact and then I’m days trying to get over the negativity of it all.
I guess this is a case where I can practice some assertive communication exercises, and work out a way to express how this behaviour hurts my feelings, and I’d like it to stop.