"what have up been up to?"

there's a harmless, frequently-asked question among friends, yet i'm having such a hard time answering it lately. not because i don't have anything to say, more like i open my mouth but nothing seems to come out because i haven't the faintest idea of where to even start. i'd rather simply say, "oh, not much." though the easier thing to do, it's something i should avoid repeating. i'd definitely say i'm more of an introverted person who might not always feel like i necessarily need others, especially since lately people have been bringing bad drama into my life indirectly, ugh. it's so much simpler to just retreat and pretend i'm a rock or an island as paul simon puts it, 'cause a rock feels no pain and an island never cries.'

i probably also wonder whether the person asking is asking for the right reason, whether he/she sincerely wants to know. if you're not busy for the next say 8 hours, sure i'll answer your question, but who would gladly accept that. i feel like everyone i know is super busy these days, and if i don't connect with my friends on a rigorously consistent basis, then we'll totally miss out, and then it gets harder to update one another because you just don't know where to start or end like what i'm having trouble doing right now. i guess when life gets busier and more hectic, that's when you especially need to make solid connections with those around you. and i'm not talking about "connecting" over email or chat. solid personal face-to-face connections. are they under-rated these days?