Friendships?

[aja8888]

The dis-advantage of keeping in good shape in advancing age. All long time friends are dead. Acquitances abound. INTJ. All is well.

In my case @ almost 76, one good friend has dementia and a couple others are MIA. It's getting lonely at the "top".

 

[Turbo29]

The dis-advantage of keeping in good shape in advancing age. All long time friends are dead. Acquintances abound. INTP A. All is well.

Edit correction:not INTJ

Me too

 

[Navigator]

I thought I had very few friends until I read this post. I have three long time friends from high school/college/first job and a couple from my last job. Most of us live far away though, and only contact each other monthly. I know from taking care of my mother how important friends are as we get older. I was thinking of moving to a 55+ community, hoping to make a few friends I could interact with more often. Does anybody have experience with this?

I am an INTP/ENTP and don’t mind spending time alone, but also enjoy the company of other people.

 

[Oz investor]

my friends started dying prematurely at an early age ( and not all of them as a result of the Vietnam War )

and my relatives weren't having a much better survival rate

so am not used to having close long term friends , , normally we just drift apart , ( or they pass on )

if i desperate for new human interaction i can always start a new hobby ( or revisit a neglected one )

most of my surviving friends have important things to do in their life

 

[DAYDREAMER]

DW and my kitty are my friends. Plenty!
People get the big stiff arm! Piping up on the Internet is as far as I go

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I'm glad to see that I am among "friends" in the "not too many" camp. I have 3 people that I could call if I needed to bury a body...and they are all from my high school days. Now that DW and I have moved away from ATL, I am already experiencing reduced communications with them, but that is expected. They are all still w*rking, so I am sure keeping in touch with the guy that moved 1000 miles away isn't too high on the "to do" list.

Other than that, just a mess load of former AF buds that I see once in a blue moon if the circumstances are right. As a matter of fact, I live within 20 miles of 3 of these former flyboy buddies but in the almost year of living here, I have yet to reach out to get together. For the most part, it's me...the DW...and SIL/BIL that live a few miles down the road, and really...I am OK with that.

I can also relate to some to some of the posters whose parents were best friends. For several years, I spent a lot of time w/ my Dad and a few of his drinking buddies. It started as a dog walking club of sorts, but eventually got to be a weekly get together for drinks and good times. Sadly, they have all passed on...and I miss this a lot.

 

[Rianne]

So my advice to those who are trying to make more friends--find something you are passionate about, a hobby (like for us --dancing or it could be golf, etc) or join groups for a cause that you strongly believe and volunteer for that or join a Church and become active and make the effort and you will make friends. There are many people out there looking for friends, you just have to put yourself in a position to find those friends.

We moved 5 times in our careers. Work acquaintances don't substitute for good friendships. I agree with the above.

 

[Jeffman52]

I've lost a number of really close friends over the years.. most way too early. I lost a friend of 3 decades just today and there just aren't that many friends left from that era. Silly as it sounds it really is the circle of life. Life is fragile and you only have so many turns around the sun.