Old friends...

[mousme]

Someone I knew at school and was "best friends" with when I was in (*quick mental calculation*) seventh grade, contacted my father to get my email address. She wants to get together with me and reconnect. Honestly, we spent seven years at school together, and for six of those years we didn't really talk much. Sure, we got along fine, but we didn't have much in common, and I doubt that after what, five years of not seeing each other at all, and nearly ten years of only really sporadic communication, that we've gained a deep understanding of one another.

I feel churlish, not wanting to see her. This is a nice gesture on her part. Even if at the beginning of our friendship she mostly used me, I think she probably genuinely wants to catch up and have a beer and see how things are going.

I just don't have all that much mental and emotional and physical energy these days, and I don't especially feel like spending it on a girl I knew fourteen years ago. I guess that makes me a bad person. I don't know. We're working on dates now. I'm trying to limit her to one evening out after work for a drink, and hopefully that'll be it. I figure if it goes well we'll have some drinks and some laughs, and if it doesn't go well I'll plead work the next day and go home.

When did I become so misanthropic?

Comments

So who's misanthropic?

[montecristo.livejournal.com]

If you don't want to go out, don't go out. What's the problem? Pretend she's a guy trying to get you to go out on a date and turn him down. Women do that all the time. Trust me, it doesn't make them evil in my eyes, just not interested. ; )

[foi-nefaste.livejournal.com]

It's not misanthropic, per se. `

It's not wanting to spend huge amounts of time with someone who was never that appreciated in the first place. It is realising that you have a limited amount of spare time, of mental and physical and emotional energy, and wishing to distribute it elsewhere, towards people/things that give you a greater degree of personnal satisfaction and well-being. All-in-all, the only people who would consider that to be completely misanthropic are those who would bend over backwards for anyone at all.

However, for the sake of memory-and-being-nice, an evening with drinks is probably a really good option - it leave the pleading-work option, if nothing else. :) You're intellingent, and fun - it'll work out, y'know.

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

I've felt that way -- I think most people have. In fact, I'm here in Vancouver for the next month and I have no intention whatsoever of trying to reconnect with all my old friends. That just seems to be the way I am. Is that misanthropic? Probably.

There's also just the "I don't *want* to go out" thing that strikes. I will note, though, that when you force yourself to do it anyway you often end up having a good time in spite of your expectations.

And yeah, it does sound like a nice gesture on her part.