Maybe it IS you?

You know the saying “it’s not about you, it’s about them”? Well, sometimes I have my doubts.

What if it IS about you?

There is a growing list of people that no longer organise to catch up with me – or who get all slippery when I try to catch up with them.

I will send a message suggesting we set a date for dinner or a drink and they will change the subject.

Or they will put it off with an excuse like “maybe when the kids get their licenses”.

Or they will agree to see me then cancel and never touch base to reorganise.

It’s not how I expected my 50s to turn out. I thought our kids would grow up and there would be more time to spend with friends, not less.

Admittedly I’m a little less encumbered than some. I live alone. My nights are my own. I only have myself to feed.

Others are dealing with the challenges arising from older kids still under their roof or ailing parents or both.

Not everyone has the headspace to deal with that and socialise too.

To be honest, the absence of catch-ups partly only bothers me on principle – why don’t they want to see me?

I mostly enjoy being a hermit and getting my social interaction fix at work or the occasional drinks event.

Socialising can be exhausting and I am understanding people less and less as I age. Or maybe I just have less and less energy to understand them.

I’ve found myself failing at witty repartee. People will have to explain they were joking because I’ve completely missed the nuance.

I think my brain is so busy that it doesn’t register the joshing. But I feel a little embarrassed when someone has to tell me they were kidding.

Maybe its my failing sense of humour that’s putting people off?

Fortunately my friends Emily and Fee were happy to chaperone me last night to my first gym session in forever.

I signed up to a $7 for 7 days program and eased myself into things with a 45-minute flex & stretch class.

I felt very loose afterwards, albeit with a bit of a headache. Hopefully it’s the beginning of a whole new, fitter me!

Although there won’t be much time to make the most of the $7 for 7 days program as I have 3 drinks events in 3 days lined up.

Stay tuned.

Song of the day: Talking Heads “Slippery people” (another freaking excellent Talking Heads song)