False expectations
My worldview is rather naïve. Forget the geopolitics here; I’m more interested in how often I see folks I know. As in friends and acquaintances. Now, I made reasonably good start when I decided to live on campus for half a decade. Met lots of folks, seeded some close friendships. From watching TV, I believed that adults hung out together. Kind of like people in residence (where we were kept captive, in retrospect). Blame it on finances that bordered on penniless, along with a striking lack of public transit.
Eventually, like many others, I joined the workforce. Unfortunately, it involved moving far away from “kith and kin”, and suddenly I was back to being solo socially. I survived. Did I mention that I’m naïve?
You see, I figured that once retirement kicked in, all of the issues would be resolved. Free time would abound. And it does, but I chose to move far away from “kith and kin” again. Sense a trend here, anyone? Going to see others involves hours in the car, and I don’t just drop in on people. Didn’t do it when I was a kid, won’t now.
And so, I rely on social media. In particular, the ability to call people from my laptop or tablet and chat for hours. Happily, I still have some old friends that indulge me. As for the immediate family, we tend to hang out on Messenger, where the actual tone of conversation never rises above a dull roar. Also, one kid who checks out of our convos, when frustrated, and then checks in several days later.
I’m starting to believe that all those social things I learned while watching TV in the ‘50s no longer apply.
