Is anyone really interested in you?

[MargoLivebetter]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but it cuts across all relationships, so I thought I'd stick it here.

Who do you think is genuinely interested in your life?

I'm not in a romantic or partnership relationship, so I don't have a significant other who I would expect to show some interest in my life. My mother is really ancient now and is incapable of being interested in anyone other than herself these days. She just wants an audience and an ear to listen to her. My DC are mid 20s and busy doing their own thing. We get on really well, and whilst they are polite and we chat a fair bit, I'm not sure they are really interested in me. I don't mean that they are callous or they don't care, but I just think they have too much going on themselves to be interested in me.

So, I was wondering if you aren't in a relationship, who is actually interested in your life?

I don't want a relationship and I'm not sure it even matters if anyone else is interested in other people's lives, but I did wonder today, who would actually give a monkey's one way or another about what I did. I can't decide if that is liberating or a bit sad.

Interesting question. I certainly felt this as a child ( very hands-off parents, working mother, career obsessed father, youngest child of several).

i threw myself into friendships and always got a lot out of them. I was still lower down the priority list, but I at least made the list!

my mum did start developing an interest in me in my twenties, but is quite superficial and will still monologue given half a chance.

now I would day that my female friendships provide the greatest interest in me ( and DH and the kids, but still to a lesser extent).

I’ve also even thinking about this. Older woman with cat, grown up kids, lovely friends, lived alone for years. I’m no one’s number one any more though, and miss having a significant other. Absolutely no desire to pursue a relationship though as it feels just too complicated and might threaten my hard fought for equilibrium. I’ve been reading Buddhist writings about detachment to try to become more self sufficient emotionally.
it is good to know it’s not just me though.

Not a single person. I'm useful to a handful of people but I'm not sure they'd call themselves interested in my life beyond the function I serve in theirs.

i think there is something about the Buddhist thing -and I feel sometimes when i am
in Nature that i am at once vital to the world but part of it that helps me with this feeling . I
read once that humanity is Natures way of experiencing itself
i also
think that women are bred and trained to be invested in everyone else to a ridiculous degree
and when menopause hits the scales fall from our eyes and we realise
people don’t really care about us in the same way.