Staying in touch

[gement]

The most important thing I got out of Tuesdays with Morrie was the idea of staying in touch with people you care about, which I am phenomenally bad at. I mean, really bad at it.

I got a wedding invitation, months ago, from a friend getting married in Ireland, this weekend. I still haven't replied, despite her asking very clearly for a reply, despite the return address, despite the inclusion of an e-mail address (which I already had memorized). Despite the fact she asked me to sing at her wedding.

Obviously, I can't swing a trip to Ireland right now. It's just not in my priorities. But a reply? What's wrong with me?

I have a friend with cancer who would be delighted if I could just get off my duff far enough to call her once a week. Once a freakin' week. I've called her maybe three times in the last six months.

I'm even worse about people whose contact info I can't keep track of, which is most of them. I have an e-mail address from my college, which I was pleased to see would last forever, so I could keep all my archives, and I wouldn't lose contact with people who didn't have any other means of contacting me.

I haven't checked that account in a year. I still have it. It just feels like too much hassle to check it. Too much hassle to talk to the people I most care about. WTF?

People who stay in good touch with their loved ones, and especially those of you who have had to learn the skill... Help me. Please.

Comments

[ilmarinen.livejournal.com]

Eh, I have some friends who stress about this a lot--as in, people aren't being good enough "friends" if they fall out of touch. This is silly. Friendship is two way, and it does take effort, but it should never be a burden. I have lots of friends I don't talk to for months at a time, and then we just pick-up where we left off. Keeping in touch is hard.

[gement.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. I'm talking mostly about YEARS, and people that I don't expect to ever contact again unless I do something to change that, or grandparents I've never voluntarily written to, or friends who just might possibly be dying that I probably should get more time with... you know. In case.

And I'm talking about feeling a complete loss of connection.