The roots spread far and wide and deep. So do the runners. So do the seeds, but it's the runners which seek out the light, so they're likely to go further than the roots (but not quite as far as the wind-blown seeds). Runners can be above ground, or below ground. As long as the roots are alive and reasonably healthy, the plant will regenerate, grow and spread. The pic at the link below shows how the runners form roots and frequent at regular intervals. Any piece of runner with roots on it will grow. Roots on their own may or may not grow, but it's unlikely - depends if there's a stem which will form leaves growing from them, in which case it will. If you had runners like the ones in the pic, you could remove the stems with the leaves on, and a plant would grow from each runner - but most people leave stems on when they look like that, just to give the plant a head start. You could actually get 4 plants from the centre starter (possibly 5 if you count the tiny roots at the top of the picture). Here is a link that might be useful: mint runners

If it's not I don't want to socialize with you thing, then it's just general laziness and lack of social graces. I have a similar thing with my family. I have a couple of cousins that I was close with growing up and that now live 2 hours away. I send them Christmas cards every year, graduation announcements, party invites and I never hear boo from them. 6 months ago, I get an invite to a baby shower for the daughter of my cousin. Didn't even know she was pregnant, hoped she hadn't gotten married and I didn't get an invite! Turns out she wasn't married but was having a baby. So, I decided to drive up the two hours that Sunday and attend - mostly just to see everyone and hear what's new. They were all thrilled to see me and we had a great visit. I took a number of pictures of the mother to be and my cousin and other family members at the shower. Plus some of her opening gifts etc. I sent copies of all the photos to my cousin. Never got a thank you for my gift, an acknowledgement of sending the photos. No baby announcement. Nada. I know they like me, they like me coming to their events on the rare occasions they have them, but have no interest in making the drive to attend any of my events or interact with my kids or hubby. So it is what it is. I accept them, as they are, but definitely don't invite them to events anymore other than those that I consider life milestones like graduation parties or weddings my kids will have in the future. They probably won't come, but at least I invited them!

Generally people should reciprocate... but with life experiences, I notice there are many exceptions so it kind of ends up changing the normal rules for me. We have one couple that invites us over a lot... but are never free when we invite them... if they have free weekends, they plan to have people over, so it makes it hard for us to reciprocate. Actually, it kind of annoys me... What do the rules say about people too busy to ever accept your invitation? What about someone who invites you to their big Halloween party every year... do you have to have them over individually if you don't throw big parties? Will those hosts even be able to fit in going back to everyone's house? 50-100 guests = 50 dinner invites a year! There are just so many exceptions with kids, babies, jobs, illnesses and stuff...it's not always reasonable to expect people can invite you over. Also, some people don't have enough space or money to entertain while others do and really enjoy it. Should you say no to an invite if you know you can't easily reciprocate? I mean, my husband gets and gives out hundred dollar sporting events tickets to friends, but he doesn't expect people to reciprocate with the same thing or dollar amount. I don't really look at the return invitation thing... but the friendship as a whole... If one person is always giving and one is always taking, then I may quit inviting... but a lot of my friends provide things other than a return party invite.. One of my friends never has us over but she helps watch my kids sometimes. Some people just really don't entertain or even go out to dinner often. I guess it depends on what your look for in a friend, how many friends you have, and what you feel about your friend. A friend with good emotional support means more to me than one who reciprocates my party invites.

"we allow others to feel hurt when we all know they shouldn't" What does that mean? If someone feels excluded or humiliated because, say, all the other first cousins were invited, she has no right to feel hurt? Or that she "shouldn't" feel hurt because it's "your wedding" and you should plan it "to enjoy the day" -- meaning, consider no one's feelings but your own? Weren't you ever hurt because you weren't invited to a wedding or party? Did you just feel all warm inside and say to yourself, "Oh, it makes me feel so good to know that they're planning Their Day the way they want it?" Just because our weddings are our weddings -- obviously -- doesn't mean that we have a license to disregard others' feelings. I'm not certainly not saying that everyone has to invite everyone to whom they are related, or everyone who might hope to receive an invitation. But at the same time, I don't agree that others don't have a right to feel hurt if they are slighted just because it is Our Day, and we are The Bride and Groom. Guests, attendants, families, and friends have feelings even on others' wedding days, and brides and grooms don't have some sort of special, one-time exemption from considering others' feelings and being kind and gracious. Again, I stress that I'm not saying that the OP, or anyone else, has to invite anyone. In fact, it's almost impossible to invite everyone we know we probably should, and even when we could, for various reasons, we don't (that includes me). I just think it's going too far to claim that people "shouldn't" feel hurt if they are excluded on what is obviously a "merit" system, not some objective basis like "only first cousins" or "no one under 18." Inviting whom you please doesn't make you Bridezilla -- but declaring that only your feelings should matter would.