My Sister & Me

[roothorick]

My dad is a stickler for bedtime schedules, and since he still technically owns my car, I can't say no to him, plus I actually care about my sister, so hey. Late at night when my dad can't be arsed to pick up my sister, I'll get a phonecall earlier in the day and am told to go pick her up. She usually talks about whatever's on her mind as she knows I'm willing to listen.

Tonight, she was a bit depressed, and was complaining about having stage fright in front of her current crush. It slowly turned into complaining that all she does is work and she has no social life. This... cut me deep. It's exactly what my mom complains about in traveling, and exactly what I think about myself from time to time. I was a bit shaken, driving back to my home.

How do you even approach this? It's a social world, the whole idea is you meet people to meet people to get things to meet people to get things and so on. I have a few friends, but they're all dead ends, leading to only small groups of all the same people. What do you do if you haven't met anyone? And how can I help my sis?

[Mytical]

Well, I am a social misfit myself..but here is my advice for what it is worth. It is not about the quantity of friends, but the quality. A person can still be alone in a crowd. Go out and do things you consider fun, and take your sister (make sure it's things she finds fun also). Both of you will meet new and possibly interesting people.

We are all social creatures, and like to have friends and such..but remember this. It's not what others think about you, it is what you think about yourself that matters. Be the you you want to be, others who like that you will see that and gravitate toward you. The others, you really shouldn't worry about.

[ArcticChicken]

I agree with Mytical, quality over quantity. I have very few close friends, but I'd do absolutely anything for them, and they for me.

If you, your mom, and your sister have at all similar tastes, you might think about taking a class together, pottery, dancing, etc. It's a great way to meet people with similar interests.