People who repeat themselves - lighthearted

It is annoying but I find it even more grating that the conversation (monologue) is all about them. I was reading a post on Mumsnet recently where a youngish woman (maybe 40's) and her similarly aged colleagues were bombarded for nearly an hour every single day by a colleague who is 60. She tells them bell book and candle each graphic detail of her elderly mum's ailments, right down to her bowel movements. The woman concerned is married and has 2 siblings who help with her mum's care, so she isn't isolated or lonely. Typically she never once has asked how her colleagues are. I don't understand how anyone can lack such self awareness. People who aren't particularly close to you (and even some who are) really don't want a daily running commentary.

I have an acquaintance (can't call her a friend) who starts to tell me something, then realises I don't know the person she is talking about so breaks off to explain who they are, then returns to the story, only to break off again to explain the connection between her and the person she is talking about. A 5 minute story can take almost an hour!!!

Guilty as charged!

My friends and I sometimes tell each other the same things for a second (or more…) time. We find, though, that that is all right as while we forget what stories we have told each other, we also forget which ones we have heard. No problem there then!

She has no other signs of Alzheimer's.

She is lonely though.
So I just listen.
I think 15 mins of largely repeats is my limit.

It has got to the point that, as she lives on a road with traffic, I am considering dropping her off around the back of her house. That way I am not in danger of traffic hitting me, as she talks.

Arent we re all a bit guilty of this I m sure I tell people a story and are not sure if I’ve told them before I do always say stop me if I ve told you this before but surely it’s about a bit of compassion the lady you refer to could be in first stages of Alzheimer’s

If I have some interesting/ important / funny news and I happen to talk to a few people, I can easily forget which person I have told. My daughter stops me if I have already told her something.

I just politely re-listen each time. Occasionally if I know it’s a long story I interject after a couple of minutes “oh yes, I remember you told me about that!”.

pascal30

But what a treat to receive a letter Tuaim.. I treasure some of the letters my parents sent me before they died.. such lovely handwriting..

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it is lovely to read letters from times past.

Sympathy coming your way fancythat.
I too have a friend with many anecdotes prefaced by “I’m sure I’ve told you this before…’

I try really hard not to groan, just grit my teeth and slap on a smile, as I’m sure I have said before!

Tuaim, lots of people like getting a real letter through the post, a treat no matter if it has some reinforcement of previously shared news. I was horrified to be told that one elderly, and very scholarly, relative has kept my trivia-filled letters.

I repeat myself as does my DH, when we do it and are reminded of this - am sure some just bear it and bite their lip - we just laugh and call it a senior moment. Have a couple of friends who do it too.
What I do want to rant about though is people who start a sentence with ‘don’t take this the wrong way but…..’ because that inevitably means there is no other way to take it.

But what a treat to receive a letter Tuaim.. I treasure some of the letters my parents sent me before they died.. such lovely handwriting..

I find I do this a lot but I think it is down to me not seeing anyone for weeks on end. When I finally do see someone I forget what I have told them a few weeks ago. Perhaps if I saw people more often then I would know for sure if I had told them something.

I find myself doing this. I often write quite a long letter to a friend who is not on line and won't use 'phone. If I don't keep a note of what to tell her in each letter or a copy of the last letter on my lap top, I end up telling her all about the incident with the dog on the beach, or the local current affair etc. I put it down to age and a quiet life.

I agree. But “getting old is not for sissies” rings true…. Forgetting what one has dais is one of the hazards - unless they have been like that most of their life. In which case they talk a lot because they are lonely, and are lonely because they talk a lot!