The Changing Face of A Writer’s Lifestyle
I noticed something yesterday. I was running errands after my annual eye exam and found myself butting into a conversation between the store clerk and a customer. The conversation continued as we stood at the register, actually resulting in a possible solution to a problem I’d been having and, if nothing else, a new acquaintance.
To the average person, this would probably not seem odd, but as an introvert, we just don’t do things like this. Or I didn’t until I began spending the bulk of my days in the company of my cats. Now that my human contact is limited to dance nights and errand days, I find it a lot easier to talk to random people. It’s as if my craving for a little human contact tells the introvert inside me to “Shut the heck up! I need to talk to a human for a change!” And surprisingly enough, that little introvert inside me ambles meekly away without so much as a “yeah, but…”
An Introverted Leopard Can Change Her Spots
My recent experiences seem to indicate that introverts can alter their natural tendencies given the right set of circumstances. There are many misconceptions about us anyway. We are not necessarily shy, nor do the defense mechanisms we develop over the years make us extroverts. We simply learn how to be outgoing and friendly to mask that quivering ball of “leave me alone” which excessive attention might reveal should we fail to go on the offensive from the start. Shyness would imply that we have trouble communicating, when the truth might be quite the opposite. In fact, like I have lately, we might communicate a little too well given the proper circumstances.
But don’t be fooled. When push comes to shove, I still prefer the company of my cats or a few friends to a crowd. Many times, I stay home simply because I don’t want to be stuck in a crowd of people with their teeming emotions. A barrage of emotions can, at times, be far worse than any migraine I’ve ever suffered, and believe me, I’ve had some doozies!
For now, though, I’ll simply accept an unexpected facet of my introvertedness which results in chatting up strangers in stores just for a little social interaction.
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for my friends who understand me in spite of my obvious quirks.
2. I am grateful for three nights of dancing as it will make the next few days of enforced writing easier to accomplish (not to mention all of the great people watching I did in the process.)
3. I am grateful for my cats who rarely leave me alone for more than a few minutes, and who provide me with their soft purrs for background noise which soothes but doesn’t distract.
4. I am grateful for finally getting ideas for blog posts again, and for making progress on the Yahoo Style Guide which is supposed to help my blog writing, especially when I write for others.
5. I am grateful for abundance: love, friendship, dancing, kitty love, communication, peace, harmony, prosperity and philanthropy.
And now for some shameless self-promotion:
I’d love it if you’d visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SheriLevensteinConawayAuthor?ref=aymt_homepage_panel and my website, www.shericonaway.com. I’ve created these pages as a means of positive affirmation and would be very grateful if you’d “like” them or leave a comment! Thank you!
Blessed Be
