Friends.

[VirginVegGrower]

i had years like that .... i split from kids mother, went through long (3 year) messy divorce, got residency of my kids and injunctions on kids mother, then became single parent and lost my job cos of no child care .... my family turned their backs on me .... i was totally alone with my kids .... that lasted for years ....

my life is very different now, but i really do know how it feels to be alone and wishing there was someone to talk to ... and lots of others do too ...

i'm not gonna hug you ... we're blokes ... just wrong ...

go on, we won't look

[VirginVegGrower]

I think what happens is the girls tend to stick together so all my friends wives remained friends with my ex if that makes sense & I just backed off. I have tried keeping in touch but maybe they feel awkward......never mind, as one door closes and all that......

Best attitude - onwards and upwards. Their loss, not yours

[Bigmallly]

The friends you shared as a couple split into mine and theirs - usually sticking with the person they befriended first.

It was the opposite for me but I put it down to you girls having stronger bonding powers. They were my mates with wives, now they are not.........simples.

[veggiechicken]

Well, that's shut me up - me and my big mouth In my defence I did say "usually".
Do women or men have the strongest bonding powers? I don't know.
To me a friend is a friend, whatever their gender, and I stick with them, especially when they're going through a rough patch. They've been there for me and I'm there for them.
That's it really

[rustylady]

To be honest most of my better friends have been men. The women I've known have mostly been bitchy, talking about other "friends" behind their backs. Maybe that says something about me, I don't know.

[VirginVegGrower]

To be honest most of my better friends have been men. The women I've known have mostly been bitchy, talking about other "friends" behind their backs. Maybe that says something about me, I don't know.

It says more about their lack of integrity to me and that's not gender specific. Some folks just aren't worth hanging onto. A lesson you learn the older you get (in my case).

[mothhawk]

Can we stop all this soppy hugging sh!te now? I've woken up with a really sore stiff neck!

Hugs are not soppy, hugs are great. A hug is like a boomerang 'cos you get it back right away. There's no such thing as too many hugs!

[Mikey]

I know this will be hard to imagine but I'm actually quite a quiet soul....















Oyyyyyyyyyy.....stop laughing.

No, serious........my OH could talk the hind legs off a donkey, so I tend to let her get on with it, because of this I know that if we were ever to split all of our friends would be hers not mine. I accept that if you don't make the effort you don't deserve friends.

Peanut, if you want to make friends you've got to be prepared to be disappointed by some of them, but the more of yourself you give away, the more you will get back in return.

Its also not enough to just say hello to your neighbours, stop and chat for 5-10-15-1hr, knowing that you have people around you that would miss you if you went missing, ensures that you will always have people looking out for you.

Its a lot easier to lose friends than it is to gain them, but if you don't make the effort you won't have any. Life is too short not to leave a lasting impression on those around you.

[lottie dolly]

i'm not gonna hug you ... we're blokes ... just wrong ...

WHY,some countries do it as part of their culture,anyway,whats up with a virtual hand shake if your shy

[di]

Wayne love....and all you others...you've got so much to offer as both a virtual and real friend, until you believe it and see it, others won't either.

So many of my oldest and dearest friends were once people I thought were better than me and I would feel really inferior in their company, turns out most of them felt the same about me...sometimes, when you're shy others can interpret it as being aloof.

I can't imagine getting through the last two years without some amazing friends, both virtual and 'real', so a huge hug from me too.

NOW!!! Get down to that local of yours, take your phone so you can 'pretend' to be busy if you feel self conscious, but make sure and say Hello to a few locals. Do it enough and bet withing days, you'll be on your way to being 'one of them'.

Lots of love and I hope the tough times ahead that you speak of aren't so tough afterall. xxx

[di]

Sorry, that reads back a little fickle. I know it takes time to build true friendships, but you have to start somewhere. That chap at the bar could turn out to be someone you only ever share a pint with and a bit of small talk, he could also turn out to become one of those frinds you can call on at all times of night and day. x

[MyLifeWithAndrew]

Hope you're not looking for the plural of Cwtch!!

Sorry..I give in. Can someone translate what a CWTCH is?
~*~
...nvm I figured it out: welsh hug.

Wayne: As this thread is now a few days old, I hope things are improving for you.
No (real-life) friends here either, but I never stayed in one spot long enough to have the "life-long" friends.
[Result of constantly moving as a child, I guess.]
Therefore I am highly grateful for the one or two I have made via the net.
They are worth it, even if I never actually "meet" them.
Regardless...virtual hug for ya.

[veggiechicken]

Sorry..I give in. Can someone translate what a CWTCH is?
~*~
...nvm I figured it out: welsh hug.

Now that you know what a Cwtch is, go and give your favourite person one, and then go cwtch someone you hardly know - half the fun is being spontaneous!!

[MyLifeWithAndrew]

Now that you know what a Cwtch is, go and give your favourite person one, and then go cwtch someone you hardly know - half the fun is being spontaneous!!

got it...just hug some random stranger haha
I'm on it, Veggie

[veggiechicken]