DEAR ABBY: There are people in my life who do not bring me joy -- just drama and petty backstabbing. How do I tactfully remove myself from an individual or group of people? I run into them all the time at business events and restaurants in our small city. -- AT ARM'S LENGTH IN IOWA
DEAR AT ARM'S LENGTH: Unless you're planning on moving to a cave in the Himalayas, there is no way you can completely avoid them. When you see them be friendly, speak in generalities, give them as little information as possible and move on when they start to gossip. It works like a charm.