It's a difficult topic. I'm also an introverted person.
It's not that I thought I don't need friends (I thought having 2 or 3 good friends is good, and I don't need more), I just thought that I would be fine without friends or family.
I kind of took it for granted. My friends also considered me to be someone who could survive on a lonely island...
...what I never really realised, was that I did have friends and family in my life, even without me trying to make friends or such. Only when I moved abroad and was in a foreign environment and didn't make any friends (trying to meet new people. ...It seems I was just unlucky in the first months), I realised that I had taken the power of (real) friendships for granted.
I've moved a bit since then, and even many friends have moved locations. So I have many friends in the world, though I havn't seen most of them for years. Staying in touch online is also not regular, especially with friends in different timezones. A big factor of course is that I don't reach out much, because I don't fel the need usually. Just occassionally just saying Hello.
I'm already lost with what I'm trying to say.
So you seem content, you have a wife and children. You don't need friends extra. But a wife is usually more than a friend, but you have someone. If you had no family (for like a year or longer), then you might come to appreciate a friendship.
...leaving off, I'm good on my own -but if I met a friend again with similar interests locally, that would be great. I have good memories of friends in the past that one might call my best friend at the time. .....even now I have friends, but it's rare meeting someone that you really need (or just want in your life).
TL;DR: No, but don't underestimate the value of even one good friend
It's a difficult topic. I'm also an introverted person.
It's not that I thought I don't need friends (I thought having 2 or 3 good friends is good, and I don't need more), I just thought that I would be fine without friends or family.
I kind of took it for granted. My friends also considered me to be someone who could survive on a lonely island...
...what I never really realised, was that I did have friends and family in my life, even without me trying to make friends or such. Only when I moved abroad and was in a foreign environment and didn't make any friends (trying to meet new people. ...It seems I was just unlucky in the first months), I realised that I had taken the power of (real) friendships for granted.
I've moved a bit since then, and even many friends have moved locations. So I have many friends in the world, though I havn't seen most of them for years. Staying in touch online is also not regular, especially with friends in different timezones. A big factor of course is that I don't reach out much, because I don't fel the need usually. Just occassionally just saying Hello.
I'm already lost with what I'm trying to say.
So you seem content, you have a wife and children. You don't need friends extra. But a wife is usually more than a friend, but you have someone. If you had no family (for like a year or longer), then you might come to appreciate a friendship.
...leaving off, I'm good on my own -but if I met a friend again with similar interests locally, that would be great. I have good memories of friends in the past that one might call my best friend at the time. .....even now I have friends, but it's rare meeting someone that you really need (or just want in your life).
TL;DR: No, but don't underestimate the value of even one good friend
That's a really thought-provoking story. Thank you for sharing it 🙏