In-person friends

[cjsmith]

There's no one *physically* close to me who is also *emotionally* close to me. (Except for Rob, obviously.) My previous entry reminds me of this, because giving up square dancing is giving up the majority of my non-work social contact. But this is something I've been puzzling over for months now.

Some of my most caring friends are thousands of miles away. Just as an example, when I had surgery I was overwhelmed by the support I got -- cards, gifts, visits -- from people physically far away. Local people? Made LJ comments. :-) The Thursday night square dance group I call for once a month, to which I showed up still bandaged heavily and leaning on a walker? Had me sign a get well card for someone else! If I needed a demonstration of just how invisible I am in person, that group couldn't have planned it better.

Why is this? What is it that I'm doing?

Maybe I smell bad in person. Maybe my unwillingness to drive long distances during rush hour for social gatherings where I don't know people well is really holding me back. Maybe I don't reach out to others or plan far enough ahead. Maybe I'm just really freakin' shy (and I think there's some truth in that one). Maybe the set of people I am drawn to and the set of people who are drawn to me simply don't have a very big intersection!

I do have some people I would quickly name as friends, who are local to me, but it's interesting to note I don't see them very often -- once every couple of weeks is the *highest* frequency and that happens only when they're not very busy.

What am I doing that leads me to craft this strange unbalance in my social life?

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Rob will definitely make it clear to me if I transgress. You should hear what he had to say about a party involving... I simply cannot convey the tone of abject horror... MELTED CHEESE. I think we had to put his nose in the Intensive Care Unit. ;-) ;-)

Yeah, I gots a job thingy. But just 'cause you don't work in an office doesn't mean you don't gots a job thingy TOO. We'll need to be careful to respect both sets of time commitments.

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Wait. But he was one of the people at the original Poly Stew, that involved lots of Melted Cheese! Did he come late?

And I think that meeting "in the middle" is going to be where it's at. So let's figure out where that is, and start investigating restaurants in the area. :^)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

No, he stayed outside and probably upwind. He really does hate the smell of melted cheese!

Yeah, middle. Tomorrow... sleep beckons :)