Annie’s Mailbox: If a man says ‘just friends,’ move on

Dear Annie: I am 53 and am in love with a 33-year-old man. We’ve been together for three years, but the problem is that he says he just wants to be friends. I care about him a lot. I think there may be someone else, but I’m not sure.

I don’t want to lose him from my life. What should I do? Should I tell him how I feel? Should I ask him whether he’s seeing another woman? I need answers. – Dee

Dear Dee: When a man tells you he “just wants to be friends,” please believe him. He is no longer interested in you romantically. Whether or not he has someone else is irrelevant. If you want him in your life, it will have to be on his terms as a friend and nothing more. If that is not possible for you, please say goodbye altogether, no matter how difficult. There’s no point moping around when it’s over. You’ll only make yourself more miserable. We recommend hot cocoa with your favorite movie, followed by a luxurious bath and commiserating with good friends.

Dear Annie: You have helped perpetuate an erroneous but widely held belief by printing a letter that referred to an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

The misconception exists because an ostrich sleeps with its head resting on the ground. Viewed from a distance, the head may appear to be buried, but it most definitely is not. If an ostrich really did bury its head, it would suffocate. – La Crescenta, Calif.

Dear La Crescenta: Thanks for providing an opportunity to get into an obscure but charming subject. According to the American Ostrich Association, a male ostrich will dig a hole for the nest. Male and female ostriches take turns sitting on the eggs in that lowered position and blend into the horizon. When the birds periodically turn the eggs over with their beaks, it can appear as if their heads are buried in the sand. Now we know.