Some people can easily talk about themselves for an hour without even asking about the other person. Marie-Anne is amazed.
She keeps on chatting
Marie-Anne:I'm a fan of filmmaker Woody Allen. For a long time too. I found the opening scene of his film Blue Jasmine (2013) recognizable in which Cate Blanchett talks for hours to a fellow passenger during a flight trip. Even at the baggage claim, the endless chatter continues and the 'victim' barely says anything back. That is not expected of her at all, she only serves as a sounding board. Certain people really like to hear themselves talk.
Non-verbal hints I have experienced this myself several times. Between Amsterdam and Alicante (in about two hours) I was once made unsolicited verbally part of a life with all the details I really didn't want to hear. Divorces, grandchildren, medical problems:I got the whole enchilada on my (plastic) plate on the plane while I really showed non-verbally that I didn't really care. Or rather:not interested at all. I was so looking forward to my book purchased at Schiphol.
Endless
When people ask me how my knee is doing, I often say unimaginatively:'Comme ci, comme ca.' Or I answer with the mother of all death eaters:'Fairly, thank you. Ups and downs hey.' The truth is actually quite complicated. And given the above, I'm terrified that someone would accuse me of talking endlessly about myself. How I hate that myself. That you only act as a yes-man for an entire evening at a dinner without anyone even once inquiring about your work, children or interests. Don't get me wrong:I find a good conversation wonderful and sometimes even uplifting and inspiring. And I love people and their stories. And if a friend's need is high, they can really talk to me for hours. Of course! But love has to come from both sides.
Facebook
If you want to enter your relationship status on Facebook, one of the options is 'it's complicated'. Ideal. You indicate that a situation is complex without bothering anyone for too long. But facebook is not real life.
In short
Perhaps I should now briefly tell you about the knee via this blog, then we'll have done that and the danger of a long story is not so great (that does not fit on the Santé website). It goes like this, sometimes ups and sometimes downs. An unexplained tear in my meniscus just happened and that is one of the reasons why my knee occasionally locks. Or maybe that's not the cause either, but no one knows that. Shake it a bit and it's unlocked again, but it still feels different. There will probably be another operation, but where, when and how is still unknown. It's complicated. Maybe Woody Allen could make a nice movie out of it.
Who is Marie-Anne? Marie-Anne, 48 years old, is married and mother of three daughters. She has a serious cartilage problem. It all started after a skiing accident, but hereditary factors and factors that doctors still don't know much about also play a role. Every other week she blogs about her (patchwork) family, the care in the Netherlands and her knee, which she recently had surgery on for the ninth time.
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