Non-Fiction Friday

   I'm going to do something a little different this week, and talk about a personal issue. I found this book the other day:  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. (Another long title!) If you, like me, are an introvert you might want to give this book a read. If you're an extrovert you ought to read it as well; it'll help you understand some of the issues introverts deal with.
   I've struggled with being an introvert my whole life. High school and college were a nightmare; it seemed most of the people were there to socialize, not learn.  I remember one particularly horrible incident in high school.  I usually ate lunch alone and then spent the rest of the time in the library. One day the principal found me and made me sit with a group of kids I didn't know. Kids I had nothing in common with and had no desire to talk to. Needless to say, I hid from the principal from then on. I'm sure she thought she was helping, but I didn't really appreciate the effort. I wish someone had explained to her that not all people need to socialize constantly. When I grew up it didn't change; I never enjoyed parties, and I'd probably rather wrestle an alligator than go to one. I'm not anti-social. I like socializing with the few friends I've found over the years. I also enjoy doing things alone. I've noticed when I go places, I'm usually the only one there alone. Have people become so dependent on each other they can no longer function by themselves? Or perhaps most people actually enjoy being around someone else all of the time. It seems an odd concept to me.
   Being an introvert is especially challenging when working; sometimes I'd come home from work so emotionally drained I'd sit in a chair for an hour just enjoying the silence and recharging my emotional batteries. Now that I've retired, I'm trying to find a part-time job, which isn't easy. It's even harder when I dread every interview. No matter how many interviews I go to, I get extremely nervous, and then I start babbling because I'm nervous. It tends to make an unfavorable impression. And how does one tell a potential employer that I'd rather not work on a team, and isn't there a closet somewhere I could work in? I don't say that, of course, but I'd like to.
   We all have that one family member we'd really rather not be around, right? For introverts, it's a little worse. At least for me. I have a particular family member that I can't stand to be around for more than an hour at a time. It's not that I don't like this person, it's just that he's incredibly loud. And by loud, I mean his normal volume is somewhere close to yelling, and he talks pretty much non-stop. And his opinions aren't the most intelligent I've ever heard. In fact, they're rather uninformed. Which sounds snobbish, I know, but if you're going to yell out opinions like they're facts, you might actually want to know what you're talking about. Open a book, for pete's sake. Or use Google, if reading is too hard. And now I've turned this post into a rant, which wasn't my intention. My point is, next time you find yourself with someone you'd label as shy, don't be so quick to judge. Not everyone wants to sit and make small talk for hours on end or have another person constantly attached to them like an octopus. And that quiet person might have something to say worth hearing, if you'd only stop talking and listen, for once.