Not just “a group of people”. This is me every holiday when I get together with my family.

“Hey little brother, what’s going on in your life?”

“Well, I’m trying to get a home loan to…”

And that’s when I realize my sister asked me that question purely to hear her own voice, and feel like she cares. But the second I say 2 words, I can see her eyes drifting, and her feet all but walk away.

These types of situations have been going on since I was 5.

One time my other sister noticed it happen in real time. And you could see the look on her face like “Awwww…it’s ok…”

Which felt worse than the abandonment of the conversation. That I expect. That’s been going on over 30 years. What I didn’t expect was to be made to feel like a charity case in my own family.

And then they ask why I don’t spend more time with them. When none of them can even name a single one of my interests.

I post on Lemmy a lot because if I am going to be screaming into the void, I might as well make it permanently there for the other void creatures.