Are all your FB your REAL friends? Aren't some more like acquaintances who you don't mind keeping up with a little bit on FB, but don't really see outside of that?

No, I don't think she is. IIRC, she had several of these when we went to the same church. I think she's someone who likes to have them

No I think she cares.. that's why she keeps PMing me to try and get together. I fear she may not fully understand that, given her intellectual disabilities.

this is probably more vent but I'd love to know how other would deal with this. So I try to keep my friends list down pretty low. I try to avoid friending people I see on a regular basis and keep it mostly to distant friends/family, local people I rarely get to see anymore, or people I know online (like here). It doesn't always work that way, but I still try to be very choosy about who I friend (esp. with the Prez. elections coming :huh: ) So, someone we used to go to church with nearly 20yrs ago sent me a friend request a couple of months ago. This is someone who is socially awkward. She's a very sweet lady, but to try and put it as delicately as possible, she probably has a mental disability related to IQ. Maybe even would be considered on the spectrum today (she's in her 60s) . She's long-time widow and never had any children. It was a small church we went to, but we weren't friends... and we never really had anything in common. I haven't seen her since we left that church. So I friended her when she asked. But, since then she has repeatedly PMd me to ask to get together for dinner or lunch. She has invited me to one of those buying parties (like Pampered Chef or something), and now has invited my dh and I to her b-day party at a restaurant. I make it a point to never go to one of those parties and we can't do her birthday anyway, so those are non-issues. Before the last 2 invites I was considering taking her out to lunch one time, knowing that it might snowball...but willing to take that chance since she seems lonely. But, with the last two, I'm really concerned she won't be satisfied with a "one and done" get together. But, I still feel badly that she's reaching out to me and I don't know how to gently say "I'm not really interested." I can tell through her updates that she does get out with friends occasionally but she also puts memes on her feed about "knowing who your *real* friends are." , or "I'm thankful I can forgive those in my past who hurt me...." etc. etc. I feel terrible. I didn't friend her to re-connect personally IRL. But, she seems to think that's what it means.

my dream vacation would be to get away to a cabin in the woods with a creek running through the property. My family would be with me for 1/2 the time and then the other 1/2 everyone would leave and I would enjoy some complete down time alone. I'd bring a loom and lots of books and stay. Maybe watch a movie on CD, becuase I don't want wifi or anything that connects me to the outside world. If the internet was available, I'd be tempted to waste too much time on the computer.

:grouphug:

I love to nap, but it's not always possible. I used to sleep better at night and could nap most days. Now I have such trouble with sleeping as it is, that I try to chug through the afternoon lull and avoid the naps.

very nice!! Mine is almost 10yrs old... I guess I should update it someday.

yes, those are toxic friendships...definitely worth staying far away from. But, I'm sorry you haven't found someone who have stuff in common with to hang out with.

I agree. It sounds like this particular friendship was dying a normal death. She tried to do a nice thing by continuing, but clearly it was just kind of done. I think this is different than what some of you are sharing about a friendship that has *something* mysterious happen and now the friendship is just suddenly over. I wonder what some of her former friends feel about her " just letting slip into a yearly date ..." maybe some of them felt she was actually "dumping" them too, and she didn't realize it wasn't so easy on them.

several of these are great ideas!! Thanks so much. I'm hoping to take her out to lunch soon and maybe suggest a few to get her out of her rut.

my aunt is finally recovering from surgery she had early in the summer that kept her in the hospital for 11 weeks. She's pretty lonely and feeling down, and I think what she needs is something to DO. She's 67 and been retired for several years. I know she doesn't want a job, but I've been thinking that maybe helping others might help her out a bit. I was thinking she'd probably love something that involved babies. Do hospitals still need volunteers to help hold and rock babies? I don't think she'd be interested in helping at a soup kitchen or anything where they'd send her off alone to do stuff (like sorting books or something). She's not really the type to become a big sister either. But, other than the baby rocking idea, I'm kind of stumped. Anyone got any good volunteering ideas for someone who needs an outlet but isn't extremely active?

I wish I understood the topic more... but I did find the Q&A at the end most enlightening.

Now I want to meet you so you can tell me what my animal personality is.

Yes! It's so refreshing to see I'm not alone in my workout routine :)

and My people! nope, right handed.

My husband does that.. it drives.me.crazy. He also slurps his drinks. my secret weirdness.. I read magazines from the back forward. Not that I read them much anymore, but it dawned on me a few years ago at some appt. or another that it was how I always flip through magazines.

The Other Side of the Dale is a sweet and funny memoir of working as a school inspector in the English countryside. It's the first (and best) in his series. David Sedaris' book about moving to France, (Me Talk Pretty One Day) was pretty laugh out loud funny, but I listened to it on audio, so hearing him tell the stories was pretty hilarious. True Grit is a very good book, but I don't know if it has short chapters. And I really enjoyed The Professor and The Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary. It's a really cool story, but again, I don't know if the chapters are short. Good luck with the surgery. When is it scheduled.?

I'm so very sorry.

my son also watches these. Thank you for the heads up

OMG!! I love it! I love steampunk... fabulous job, BTW.

oh how terrible. So sorry for their loss. praying

I so sorry. I have no words of wisdom or ideas, but wanted to give you moral support. :grouphug: It seems like dealing with insurance is a full-time job these days.

I've been sick all week too... I feel your pain. I just went on antibiotics yesterday. Great lists... I'm going to use some of this ideas here. But I wanted to add these titles to the list that are available on Netflix via live-streaming Enchanted April 3rd Rock from the Sun Longmire Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt edited to add: Slings and Arrows (although I don't know if it's on live-stream anymore).

Losing Mum and Pup by Buckley Wild - by Strayed Call the Nurse - by MacLeod Twelve Babies on a Bike - by Dunn (esp. if you like the TV show Call the Midwife) Lost for Words by Longden My Father's Paradise - by Sabar Facing East - by Matthewes-Green An Irish Country Childhood - by Walsh Enjoying some of the other recommendations, I love reading memoirs