Not as simple as it sounds.
First... what we've decided. It has a lot to do with time left, but also the difficulties involved with staying in contact the different people that we know.
Basically, our children, their wives and their children. Secondarily, with neighbors with whom we interact on a regular basis. No facebook, twitter or other chat-type accounts. Emails, on a need to know basis. In our case, older friends from our Florida senior retirement community. Mostly for ilnesses, deaths, or major life changes.
Between the early childhood neighborhood friends... (like 15 years of our lives) college buddies (hundreds), and neighbors and friends accumulated in the 22 major moves we've mad... co-workers from 30 years of different jobs in different locations, and of course the members of our extended families (thousands of miles and 15 years away).
Do we care? Of course... and the early years meant hundreds, maybe thousands of cards and letters, and untold number of phone calls. Running a community website added many many more emails.
About four years ago, we made a concerted effort to take back our privacy and our lives by limiting or delaying responses to messages. It has worked, and we're back into living our own lives, with the ones closest to us.
It's not that we don't care. It's more like we're in to living our own lives... limited obligations, and doing exactly what we want. Breaking away from a very active social life has not been easy, and certainly we've stepped on some toes of once-close friends. A calculated plan.
With all that, now, at age 80.. the days go by really fast. Hardly time enough for the basic things we want to do (and have to do). Being part of the lives of others, and having them in ours isn't necessary for them or for us. Having said that, we still interact with several hundred people... just not the ones who will share our remaining days.
Many of the folks in our CCRC have retracted their social circle, even further,,, while there are some who actually DO spend their days on their phones or corresponding on the internet. A matter of choice.
Have you stopped to consider how many people with whom you remain in regular contact?
No right or wrong. Just curiousity about how other retirees spend time in the social connection part of their lives.
First... what we've decided. It has a lot to do with time left, but also the difficulties involved with staying in contact the different people that we know.
Basically, our children, their wives and their children. Secondarily, with neighbors with whom we interact on a regular basis. No facebook, twitter or other chat-type accounts. Emails, on a need to know basis. In our case, older friends from our Florida senior retirement community. Mostly for ilnesses, deaths, or major life changes.
Between the early childhood neighborhood friends... (like 15 years of our lives) college buddies (hundreds), and neighbors and friends accumulated in the 22 major moves we've mad... co-workers from 30 years of different jobs in different locations, and of course the members of our extended families (thousands of miles and 15 years away).
Do we care? Of course... and the early years meant hundreds, maybe thousands of cards and letters, and untold number of phone calls. Running a community website added many many more emails.
About four years ago, we made a concerted effort to take back our privacy and our lives by limiting or delaying responses to messages. It has worked, and we're back into living our own lives, with the ones closest to us.
It's not that we don't care. It's more like we're in to living our own lives... limited obligations, and doing exactly what we want. Breaking away from a very active social life has not been easy, and certainly we've stepped on some toes of once-close friends. A calculated plan.
With all that, now, at age 80.. the days go by really fast. Hardly time enough for the basic things we want to do (and have to do). Being part of the lives of others, and having them in ours isn't necessary for them or for us. Having said that, we still interact with several hundred people... just not the ones who will share our remaining days.
Many of the folks in our CCRC have retracted their social circle, even further,,, while there are some who actually DO spend their days on their phones or corresponding on the internet. A matter of choice.
Have you stopped to consider how many people with whom you remain in regular contact?
No right or wrong. Just curiousity about how other retirees spend time in the social connection part of their lives.
