Topic of the day: How often do you guys hang out?

I honestly thought I’d become a total hermit because my to-do list has been absolutely relentless lately, but then I look at some of the people on this board and—pffft—suddenly I’m a total party animal 👋 🙂
I’ve got my inner circle—maybe three pairs of people I actually make time for—and everyone else just kind of gets squeezed in whenever life allows. There are some dear friends I won't see for months at a time, but we always make up for lost time the second we finally link up. Until then, we just stay in the loop with a quick text or a call.

Thomas Hernandez4 said:Nov 3. Topic of the day: How often do you actually hang out?

Do you get out much? Are you someone who hits up big groups, or do you prefer keeping things low-key with just a few people?
Try to put some actual numbers to it—how many people are you realistically seeing on a monthly basis?

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This thread was pulled from the 62nd post within the topic of the day.

I generally prefer small groups, usually just 1 to 3 people.

Let's say I go out about 2 or 3 times a week for a couple of hours at a time.

Anything more than 3 times a week is way too much for me.

I actually have a very large circle of friends and acquaintances, so I catch up with people every now and then. Some I see weekly, some bi-weekly, and others maybe once a month. With some, I can't even manage that because we live too far apart. In those cases, we just catch up whenever they happen to be in my city or if they invite me over for a weekend. I'll head out for two days and then the visit ends up stretching longer. 😁

I don't socialize at all.

If I were to lay out my contact list in a neat little bulleted format, you might walk away thinking I’m some kind of social butterfly with a packed calendar.

But the truth is, I spend about 90% of my time flying solo—which, honestly, suits me just fine.

When I am actually out with a crowd, I usually just end up feeling empty—like I'm just participating in this hollow imitation of what real connection looks like.

The real thing? Genuine connection is incredibly rare.

I’m a social person through and through. Honestly, things feel pretty bleak when I'm isolated. My professional network is huge because of my career, but my actual inner circle is much smaller and more intimate.

I love getting out whenever I finally have some downtime from work—now that the kids are a bit older, I actually have a life again.
I’ve reached a stage where being around people really fuels me. Sure, I’m an introvert at heart, but I’m definitely the "social" kind. I enjoy hitting up the movies, catching a play, or going to a concert, and I’d love to do that more often.

I also really value those casual get-togethers with friends and the kids.

I can’t imagine living a life without a social life. ☕️

I guess I don't fit the typical loner mold in the USA.

Lately, my social life seems to be dominated by obligations—networking for work, chatting with other parents at soccer practice, or dealing with school functions—leaving very little room for the people I actually choose to spend time with. If these mandatory interactions end up draining me completely, I might just scale back on the voluntary connections too, opting instead for the quiet solace of my own company. 🐔

There really isn't any other way to handle this—we need to organize a meeting, one of those old-school, face-to-face gatherings like we used to have back in the day.

If my memory serves me right, we settled on meeting at the Brewery next Tuesday 🍿
After work 😁

Thomas Hernandez4 said:Nov 3. Topic of the day: How often do you actually hang out?

Do you get out much? Are you someone who hits up big groups, or do you prefer keeping things low-key with just a few people?
Try to put some actual numbers to it—how many people are you realistically seeing on a monthly basis?

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This thread was pulled from the 62nd post within the topic of the day.

Honestly, the older I get, the less I feel like doing those big, loud social gatherings, and I much prefer spending whatever little free time I can scrape together with just my immediate family.
Every now and then we’ll put together a little dinner for some friends or head over to their place, but it’s really only about twice a month at most.
I suppose it might be because my whole life has been spent being surrounded by people—not constantly, mind you, but in these sort of recurring cycles.
I go through these phases where I’m incredibly close to certain people, then that connection kind of fades away, and then I move on to meeting new folks, and it just keeps looping along like that...

I truly believe it has something to do with the fact that I’ve moved around so much throughout my life.

I only have a handful of childhood friends left, and we usually catch up maybe once a month.

My extended family is always teasing me about how rarely we see each other, and some of my old friends do the same thing; I always tell them, "Oh, I'll reach out soon," but let's be honest, I never actually do. 🐔

I spend about eight hours every single day hanging out with my coworkers, though it’s always the same group of people having the exact same conversations.
It can get a little draining at times, but they're good people, so I just find a way to power through those eight hours.
Once the workday is over, I’m usually catching up with the other parents from my kids' sports practices, and I actually have a few solid friends in that circle.
Then there’s the time spent with my brothers and extended family.

There are certain days when I feel this sudden urge to go out and meet someone entirely new, but then by the next morning, I figure I don't really need anyone else and I'm back to my usual routine.
I genuinely love retreating to the quiet of my own home because sometimes being around people all day just becomes too much for me.
As I get older, I find that I really start to cherish that solitude.

I find myself caught up in frequent double dates with my sister and her husband most often.
As for my girlfriends... well, we meet up about once a month, though the frequency fluctuates wildly depending on the mood. We stay in constant contact, though—chatting via Messenger almost every single day or every other day at least.
This current pace of socializing actually suits me quite well. I know there are people in my corner whom I can see whenever the whim strikes, even if, truthfully, I am currently finding a certain profound solace in peace and solitude.

It’s funny how life works out, because in the city where I actually live and put in all my work, my social circle isn't exactly huge... it’s pretty thin, really. But whenever I head back to my hometown, which happens a few times a month, that's when I truly reconnect with the people who actually mean something to me.

I don't know, I think I just moved past that stage of life where you feel this intense pressure to be out every single weekend trying to socialize, so honestly, the amount of company I have right now feels perfectly balanced.

I've never been the kind of person who will force a connection or hang out with someone just for the sake of having something to do, because at the end of the day, I'd much rather just enjoy my own company than waste precious time with people I don't actually click with...

I don't really have those needs anymore.
But hanging out with good people? That's always a boost.

Getting harder and harder

So, I find myself connecting with people primarily through my various hobbies, though I wouldn't say I have a dedicated social circle where I am currently living. I used to have one, but things just sort of drifted apart over time. Lately, I've mostly been tending to rather superficial connections; I don't really have a core group for regular hangouts, so I tend to meet people through specific activities, though it usually stays at the level of a mere acquaintance.🤔

In theory, I want to be social, but in practice, I just can't be bothered 🙂.

Once a month, I head out with my group for some pool, and we hit up those local pub trivia nights. That’s basically been my entire social life for the last five years.

Once you're here, everything's crystal clear.
Otherwise, people would just be hanging out at coffee shops, stressing out and scrolling endlessly on their phones.
Seriously, you aren't missing a thing. Just fake drugs, existential crises—you know the drill.

Is the topic of the day sex here as well?

George Kim13 said:Is the topic of the day sex here as well?

The actual topic is how to find someone without having to actually go out and mingle with people.

Noah Moore61 said:The actual topic is how to find someone without having to actually go out and mingle with people.

Well, you are among people here, though I suppose that isn't quite true...
You're just surrounded by usernames.