I just move back to my hometown and ran into an old colleague who's keen to be friends but I don't want that. How do I handle her playdate and lunch invites without seeming rude?

Real friends give us energy, joy, and vitality while being in a room with people you don't connect with does just the opposite. We never want to appear to be deliberately rude and uncaring but fi you have to ride that line to protect your own needs is that okay?