I'm 66 and I've watched myself become distant from people I genuinely care about - not because I stopped loving them, but because somewhere in my sixties I realized that most of my relationships were being kept alive by effort that only moved in one direction - Silicon Canals

"You start doing the math on your relationships. Who calls who. Who suggests getting together. Who remembers birthdays, anniversaries, the little stuff that supposedly matters."

"You tell yourself stories about why this is fine. People are busy. Everyone's got their own stuff going on. Some folks just aren't good at staying in touch."

"But then you hit a certain age and you realize you're not buying your own excuses anymore."

"There's something that changes when you realize you could stop calling, stop texting, stop being the one who reaches out, and half the people in your life would just fade away."

At sixty-six, a person reflects on their relationships, noting a pattern of one-sided effort in maintaining connections. Despite remembering birthdays and making calls, they feel unreciprocated in their efforts. Observations reveal that many relationships rely on their initiative, as friends and family rarely reach out. The realization comes that if they stopped making the effort, many connections would fade away. This leads to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of relationships and the importance of mutual effort.

Read at Silicon Canals