Calling best friend feels like an obligation

I love talking to my best friend over the phone but for many years he’s almost always ended phone calls with “call me tomorrow buddy.” So if I did that every time we’d be talking every day. 3 years ago when I met him as my sponsor this felt more appropriate. But he hasn’t been my sponsor in a year or two.

I’m just not the kind of guy with the energy to call any one friend every day or even 5 days a week. I’m introverted and like space between my calls. When he says “call me tomorrow” at the end, it sometimes sucks out the enjoyment of talking to him because it feels like I have to call him. And lately it’s just made me feel claustrophobic or like I don’t have any breathing room. And he sucks at following through with calling me himself even though him agreeing to call me is a rarer occasion. So I’d like our efforts in the friendship to match. But that’s another conversation.

He said on Wednesday “yeah give me a call tomorrow buddy” and I said “yeah I’ll give you a call tomorrow or Friday maybe”, and then right at the end of he said “talk to you tomorrow buddy”

Dude is really kind and has been fairly receptive to criticism, it used to be common in our circle of AA friends to be as honest as including our own sponsors in our resentments lists when we do step work. It’s never gonna make me not nervous about bringing it up without sounding like I’m rejecting him.