Being social

[ClockworkOrange]

Love the thread roady gal.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to have had a lot of friends and when I divorced it was great, always somebody who was happy to go out somewhere with me or just pop over for a chat.

Same at Christmas time, so many cards to write out blah blah blah!

Now I am older, I think why on earth am I writing Christmas cards to people I will never ever see again and frankly don’t know or really care about anymore. This sounds pretty harsh but I am sure my ‘then’ friends feel the same. So much so I have minimised my Christmas list big time and the same with pressies, it was becoming a chore and that is the the time to stop. I have a handful of very close friends and if we do not speak for a couple of months it never matters, we are always there for each other.

My PET HATE!

You go for a walk in the country or a bike ride and all of a sudden everybody wants to say ‘hello’..................well I DON’T! I avoid eye contact, just can’t be bothered but my partner is the opposite, he is nice to everybody. If I was to see these same people along the High Street or shopping mall they wouldn’t give me the time of day.

I do enjoy company I choose to be with but equally I need solitude too.

Yes, the original Mrs Grumpy!

[Deborajen]

Roadie gal, you've gotta love "studies." Yeah, the rooster crows every morning, then the sun comes up - doesn't that show that the rooster crowing might cause the sun to come up? Studies can be interesting, but they always need to be taken with a grain of salt. A lot of people who commit suicide are withdrawn or have become withdrawn, and a lot of people with larger social circles have connections in healthcare who might help point out causes for concern or help point the person in the direction of the right medical care resulting in the person living longer, etc. On the other hand, less social people can be perfectly healthy whereas a social butterfly can die of cancer at a young age.

I've never appreciated personality "labels," mainly because I grew up being teased - usually in front of a group, not one-to-one - that I was "so quiet." It seldom happens anymore but I still get irritated when I see people do that to others. It's not socially acceptable to say "you're so fat" or "you're so dumb" in front of a group, but teasing a shy person who isn't good at defending him/herself - because he/she is shy & awkward - seems to be perfectly o.k. Well, that's one of my big pet peeves.

I have friends but especially I have a few really close friends that I've known "forever." I guess I could get lazy again and gain lots of weight and work on making lots of "friends," but somehow I just don't think that's the way to live longer.