Embracing my Introversion

It was well before I ran across the Huffington Post article 23 Signs You're Secretly An Introvert that I recognized the fact and embraced it. Of course I have weaknesses and deficiencies; everyone does. However, I labeled some of my behaviors and idiosyncrasies incorrectly as such. It took a while for me to recognize that this is just the way I do things, and that there isn't anything wrong with that. I began to embrace my introversion.  

Remember when texting took off? Were you someone who hated it? Maybe you still hate it.  I remember not getting it at first, and then slowly understanding its charm. Now I can hardly do anything else and I don't care. Introverts are better communicators through writing. We like writing. I like it so much I have a blog. 

My wife lives in another state. People often wonder how I'm coping with that. Even though I'm living alone most the week, there is never a dull moment. I am NEVER bored. There is a continuous monologue going on in my head. So much so, that I can't listen to audio books. Unlike reading the book for real, you can't just skim backwards or flip back a page to the point where your inner dialogue took off. Where was I? Oh yeah, my wife in another state. Sorry, I got distracted. 

Yes, so I miss my wife. We talk almost every day to catch up on the day's activities. If you have a domestic partner who comes home every night, imagine if you had to set 20-40 minutes aside and engage in conversation with each other, devoting your attention to them for that entire time. Hmmm.

Yeah, we're missing the physical presence, but I bet we're engaging in conversation with each other more than most of you. Weird how that works. So, if you're wondering, we're doing fine.  

My biggest challenge I've been working on lately is finding comfort in long silences and squashing the ingrained idea that they are awkward. Sure, they may be awkward for other people, but they don't have to be for you. I'm slowly getting more and more comfortable in the company of others by realizing that I don't have to talk. They'll do all the talking if I let them wallow in their own discomfort of quiet. If they're like me, we'll be fine with a quiet moment. I'm not all the way there yet, but it is coming. And it is glorious.