Happiness

[jeffreyab]

In reference to my earlier post I have been trying to build up my social capital. This is particularly important in relation to a recent article in the Sunday Science section of the Toronto Star which relates lasting happiness to the people in our lives rather than to the toys we own. It basically says while the toys will increase our happiness for a little while its our companions in life who give us the most happiness. I think we can include partner and family in this.
Just thought that people should know.

Comments

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I agree about having fewer friends as you get older.

The walls I am running into are that I no longer have the physical and financial resources to maintain secondary long distance realtionships.

And here in town other people my age are shaving down the size of their groups not lookng to make new friends.

What frustrats me too is that my friends in town are not a group but a bunch of individuals I know.

None of whom have any single female friends although they all have advice which would have been more useful to me 20 to 30 years ago when I was in school.

[kgkofmel.livejournal.com]

I no longer have the physical and financial resources to maintain secondary long distance realtionships

Perhaps there is a need to revisit what a long distance secondary relationship is.

Mind you, I'm answering in the dark here, because I don't know what you mean by that phrase, and specifically the designation "secondary."

I have a far-flung web of friends, some of whom I have not seen in years. Some of those I correspond with intermittently, some I don't. The key for me (and I think thus for our friendship) is that their place in the web is always there, and I guess they must hold a place for me in their web too, because we are able to step back into contact without much disturbance.

I sometimes wish my friends were more of a group, but they are not. They form a network of individuals. Or we relate as a network of individuals, even when I am relating to more than one member of a group. I suspect this says more about me than about them. I don't do groups very well, in my opinion.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Well by secondary I mean having a relationship with someone for whom you are not one of their best friends even if to you they are one of your best friends.

Long distance is anything over 15 to 20 minutes which includes Port Huron if the border wait is slow.

Finally as I get older I find I am losing friends and even strong acquaintences as they move farther away, follow different interests we no longer have in common, and make new stronger realtionships with less or no room for me.