Sometimes, I just don’t want to talk to people.
I get that almost everyone is like that sometimes, but I realized recently that I spend almost no time truly alone. As we continue The World’s Slowest Move, my husband is ensconced at the New house, and I travel between New and Old, where my mother is still in place.
They both get swaths of time alone. I get the drive between them.
I’m not even sure what I’d do if I were left completely to my own devices for a week or more. I’d get all my errands run before 10 am, then be back home in my leggings and slippers for the rest of the time.
Probably do a lot of weaving and sewing and knitting. Maybe even get some writing done. Gosh, that sounds nice.
There’s also a good chance that I’d just stay in bed, alternating between reading and sleeping for a couple of days, punctuated only by feeding the animals and letting the dog out to potty. But I’ve learned that I can really only vegetate for so long before my need to DO something takes over. Hence, all the crafts.
I wouldn’t want it to last too long, though. A couple of weeks, at most, before I start going a little buggy. At some point, I’d need to call up some friends for lunch or find a craft group or something. My desire for solitude isn’t so extreme that I don’t recognize that I’m not meant to be completely alone in the world. Most of us aren’t, as much as we might fantasize about it. We’re designed to be social creatures, members of a community, though we may engage at different levels.
I read somewhere that the difference between extroverts and introverts is in how our internal batteries get charged. Extroverts gain energy from interacting with other people. They need a lot of connection to feel energized and happy. Introverts charge our personal batteries from the time we spend alone, feeding our souls with our own thoughts and pursuits.
Introverts aren’t incapable of connecting, though. We do like being around people and aren’t necessarily shy and retiring. It’s just that after a prolonged period of togetherness, we need to step back and recharge on our own. I’ve been to enough cons over the years to know that I can’t have things scheduled for the 3-4 days after I get home. That’s recovery time.
Alas, I don’t see any stretches of alone time in my near future, so I make the most of those long drives to and fro, and hope that the day soon comes when we’re all in the same house. Then I’ll feel okay in letting my family know that I’ve earned some alone time, so I’ll pack up some of my crafting tools and go esconce myself at a nice, peaceful BnB for some time to myself.
Someday. Not today.
Loom Blossom 