If you are an Introvert, know that there is nothing wrong with you.
- Kathy Reed O’Gorman, columnist

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I know. Why does she have to be such a, well, such a hermit?”

As I solitarily meandered aisles of old Mason jars and dusty bone china, the two ladies in the antique store chatted back and forth about their friend for several minutes.

“Well, I’ve never heard her talk about more than one or two friends. And she never wants to go out.”

“I know. I feel sorry for her. She’s got a problem.”

I felt sorry for their friend, too. But not because she had a problem. I felt sorry for this “hermit” friend because it is obvious that she is an introvert living in an extrovert’s world.

I, too, am an introvert. Ever since I took the Myers-Briggs test about ten years ago, officially outing myself as a hardline introvert and finally understanding what that meant, I have felt guilty. (And, believe me, ten years is a long time to feel guilty.)

Guilty that I’d rather stay home alone when Jason goes on his occasional guy night or camping trip. Guilty that social events and parties drain me dry. Guilty that my queen-for-a-day scenario has only one requirement: solitude.

Introvert = Guilt

But as I found myself eavesdropping on the bewildering conversation of these two extroverted women, I took comfort in this article I’d just read: “Being an Introvert in an Extroverted World.” I took comfort in the fact that we introverts do not have something wrong with us. That our God-given traits are not some mistake for our extroverted friends to “fix.”

It’s just a matter of understanding one another a little better.

So, if you, like these women at the antique store, ever feel confused, flummoxed or even slighted by your introvert friend, then I highly recommend this article. And if you, like me, ever feel guilty, berated or misunderstood for being an introvert, gulp down this cup of wisdom.

“I guess we’ll just keep trying to help her come out of her shell.”

That was the last thing I heard as I left the musty shop. As the door closed behind me, I wondered if I should have said something – something kind, something balanced, something to help these women see their friend in a different light. I didn’t want to meddle. But maybe I should have said something anyway.

After all, I know we’d all rather be alone, but we introverts gotta stick together.

Tags: extrovert, introvert, myers-briggs  |  Posted under just a word...  |    1 Comment