At the end of this month we will have been in Colorado for six years. And if one more person asks me if I've made any friends in CO, I'm going to...well...I'm going to *unfriend* them!
The first time someone asked me that, I had been in CO maybe two weeks. I thought it was an odd question, so I didn't think much about it, figuring nobody else would ask. I was wrong. Soon someone else asked me the same thing. I said no. For god's sake, I just got here. But the question never went away. Some people still ask me every time we speak on the phone. "Have you made any friends yet?"
Think about it. Do you ask your neighbor if she has any friends? What kind of a question is that? Do people ask *you* if you have any friends? I have never asked anyone that question. It's not that I'm averse to asking intrusive questions. Clearly I am not. But that one never popped to mind.
And yet many many people -- even those who do not typically ask me questions about myself -- are vitally interested in my friend count. Why is that? I don't think it's out of concern for me, otherwise, why not inquire about my mental or physical health? Do my (non colorado) friends ask because they are concerned about being displaced? Are they contemplating a move to a new location and fear they also will fail to make new friends? Is it idle curiosity? Is it schadenfreude?
I'm going to settle something right now. The answer is: no, I have not made new friends. And to forestall all the "whys" I'll ruminate on that as well. I do not have children. I work at home...alone. I do not go to church. I do not borrow sugar.
And finally, to be honest, I expect I'm an acquired taste.
But if you are simply concerned about my well being, let me just say, you're all the friend(s) I need.
how about "Are you happy in Colorado?" I hope I was not one of the persons that asked that friend question, but I could have been, I guess. A more appropriate thing to ask would be "Have you met anyone?" Instant friends are I think, extremely rare. Friendships take time to develop. Some people have a boatload of friends. I have always had just a small group of friends and usually just one or two that I hung with on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteWe are, indeed, citizens of the universe.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, Skip. And yes, happy in CO. Oh, and I've met lots of people!
ReplyDelete"I expect I'm an acquired taste." Well, I've acquired the taste. Oh, and thank you for answering my long simmering (Embarrassingly, I'm pretty sure I'm one of those people who has actually asked.) question.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're happy, Twila. that's paramount.
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