Being an introvert
- Jun 24, 2016
- 2 min read
I was the shy one when I was younger. Didn’t talk. Didn’t engage. Was I a goofball in front of my family, sure.
But strangers never saw that side of me.
I never stood up for myself. My (younger) sister even stood up for me when we were walking home from school one day and a bully crossed the street. I just kept walking. How I could get up on a stage and dance in front of people, I have no idea. But I felt in my zone, I was confident on stage.
A new word
As I grew up I learned the new word was “introvert”. I had gained confidence and I wasn’t nearly as shy, but I still didn’t engage like other people did. I also realized strangers didn’t always see me as what I knew I was, they saw me as a snob who didn’t want to talk to people.
Opposites Attract
They say opposites attract and that is the truth for my husband and me. He is a social butterfly who will strike up a conversation with anyone. For me, that sounds exhausting. I’d rather stay home and read a book or, gasp, do laundry. My daughter got her social skills from him, thankfully. She makes friends everywhere she goes.
My husband and I have established a routine when we go to one of our annual galas. After registering and finding our table, we put in our bids on the silent auction items that caught our eye. Then he goes to get a drink.
From then on, we don’t see each other until the dinner and program portion. He bounces from conversation to conversation after getting his drink (sometimes he even starts one while in line, because he knows everyone) while I wait for our friends to arrive at the table.
Pretending
I am getting better at pretending to be an extrovert. I say, “Hi” first more often, I talk to strangers, I start conversations. Give me a little alcohol and I don’t have to pretend to be an extrovert then! But sometimes, I just don’t feel up for it and I can’t (legally) have a glass of wine with me everywhere I go.
Really, I am a nice person!
I just wish I could hold a sign over me that says, “I’m a nice person, really!”
So can you do me a favor? If you’re an extrovert, maybe you could be the first to start the conversation or extend a hand?
And by all means, please don’t judge us introverts standing in our group of comfort (friends) thinking we don’t like you. Some of us are still just that little girl hiding behind her dad’s leg.
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