Dear Prudence,
I have a friend who comes over weekly to watch Jeopardy and have dinner with my wife and me. I rarely see this person outside of our one day a week meeting, but she has many different groups of friends and she’s constantly talking about them and showing me pictures and videos about their times together. I really like her, but I feel very envious of the fun things she does without ever receiving an invite to participate. I don’t really understand this compartmentalization of her friends who circle each other but never meet. I’ve even told her that it makes me feel bad to hear about the fun she’s having and not be invited, but she doesn’t seem to get it. I don’t want to stop our weekly visits, I really do enjoy her company. Do you have any suggestions on how I can swallow my envy and just enjoy her for what she is without feeling sad about being excluded?
—Friends with Friends