Social interactions for the soul

 

Do you remember those old BT adverts where Bob Hoskins would state that it's good to talk? Well, I can remember thinking that no, it wasn't, not at all in fact. I found social interaction and other people stressful. The anxiety involved in even attempting conversation with someone else was enough for me to just give up on the idea entirely, I figured I'd rather deal with loneliness than stress. 

Fast forward to the current day and my outlook has changed significantly - I love to talk, connect with friends and also I've even made some new friends along the way! How rather wonderful!

I often talk about "time" in my blogs, the rapid passing of time is a regular concern of mine. Time is a funny thing really, it is nice seeing changes over time and having to adapt to new changes that come over the years - both good and bad. Dear friends of mine recently had a change in their circumstances as their son went off to uni which is of course a good thing, but it required adapting to a different routine, (they are all doing well and I know he will do brilliantly at uni), they will miss each other but in the grand scheme of things it is just for a little while. Time is like that - what seems like forever may only be a fraction of time overall. I know when it comes the time for my own children to leave to start on their own journey into adulthood it will be brilliant for them but will leave my wife and I with a feeling of melancholy...for a while at least. Time is precious and also fleeting but, (as I've previously stated), the memories last forever. 

I often worry about time running out before I've done things I'd like to see or do. To me, time is one of the most precious things on the planet; money means little to me as I've never had much money so people's fascination with having lots of it leaves me confused, (I realise it's handy to have, but it really isn't the be all or end all of everything). So whenever I spend time with someone it means a lot to me, they are choosing to spend their precious time with me and vice versa - the best gift I can give someone is my time. Be assured that I would have had to overcome some level of low level anxiety beforehand, (usually a bout of self-doubt that I'm interesting/entertaining enough to warrant spending time with or the like). 

I would never be too busy to spend time with those I care about though; my sons are now teenagers and as such they no longer want to hang out with me much, (which is fine, their friendships are important), but when they do choose to - it's one of the best feelings in the world! 

If a friend opts to spend any time with me I am always really pleased for the same reason - I'm not the most interesting of people and so the fact they want to meet up with me is very humbling and touching. Some of my fondest memories are ones spent with others, laughing and chatting. It is truly good for the human soul. As some of you are aware one of my favourite things is going for a walk with others, it really is one of my joys in life, (hence why I'm always sporadically putting out offers on social media to come walk with me somewhere, a stroll and a chat is always good and I've had many a lovely walk with many a lovely person). 

So, you may be curious what inspired this tangent, nothing really, I guess I was just reflecting on things, which is always a good thing to do. It's strange that as we get older our outlook on things change. In my case it was a complete u-turn in regards to other people; whereas once upon a time I would avoid others at all costs, I now embrace spending time with them. I can recall thinking at around the age of 25 that my days of making friends were over - thankfully this wasn't true and I've made many new friends since.

Whether it be going for a walk, catching a show together, going for drinks, grabbing a cuppa, having a party, texting, messaging or just simply hanging out - other people are essential. I know how much seeing others means to me and I can only hope that the feeling is mutual and that they are pleased to see me too. 

Essentially, Bob Hoskins was right - it is good to talk! Reach out to people, there may be a friendship waiting to bloom or someone who just  needs a friendly ear or company.