In Pain Sight

Michael Chung once said, ~Don’t underestimate me because I’m quiet. I know more than I say, think more than I speak, and observe more than you know.~ What is an introvert? It’s a person who feels more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas rather than what’s happening externally. They enjoy spending time with just one or two people instead of large groups or crowds. Without a doubt, introverts like myself don’t necessarily enjoy being the center of attention and would much rather be camouflaged/blend into one’s surroundings is considered far more enjoyable. In some ways, we have a ninja-like presence as we are able to enjoy ourselves sitting and listening quietly while making mental observations of our surroundings we’re located in.

As I said before, when you’re an introvert we actually utilize our ninja-like presence/ability, and enjoy ourselves listening quietly while making mental observations of our surroundings we’re located in. In other words, doing our best to acclimate to the environment knowing it can take us a while till we are able to for all intents and purposes hide our presence. True, it’s a finely honed skill/ability that every introvert around the world has not only trained years for, but perfectly mastered as well. For it can most definitely be a humorous situation indeed when someone suddenly becomes either startled or surprised after taking notice of our presence. Although we may not look like we’re having fun just sitting there, we’re actually enjoying ourselves knowing we’re being entertained with what’s happening all around us.

If you think about it, being introverted has its advantages, one of them being that on the occasion we actually speak and say something relevant people will actually listen. Thinking about it further, if a conversation involves a topic of discussion that is considerably nerdy and geeky we’ll take part in it. It’s just a matter of finding the right opening to slide right on in to make our presence known with our ninja-like presence and make it seem like we’ve always been there. On the other hand, if a conversation amongst a group suddenly turns risky we’ll immediately abort by gradually vanishing from the conversation with ninja like style. Personally speaking, it has happened to me on more than one occasion and all I did was stop talking then waited for the right moment to ease out and disappear.

Let me ask this question to my fellow introverts, have you ever found yourself being unexpectedly roped into conversations, especially if the topic of discussion is about relationships. Of course, we end up somehow becoming the quintessential sounding board for someone who wants to talk about a past relationship experience or the failures of dating. In a way, we’re like a magnet for people who have a way of finding us when we just want to hide. As much as we don’t want to be found, we end up making our presence known to the point where we weigh in by providing the pros and cons, as well as give our own insights pertaining to the matter at hand. What it primarily comes down to is being able to take a step back, in a manner of speaking, in order to not only see it from both sides, but see the bigger picture.

Someone Stephen Hawking said, ~Quiet people have the loudest minds.~ In retrospect, introverts are usually perceived as either reserved, quiet, mellow and sometimes mistaken for being shy. That may be true but what we lack in social skills we make up for in being incredibly self aware mentally and emotionally. What it primarily comes down to for any introverted individual is the pure enjoyment of observation because actually interacting with people can be absolutely draining. Ultimately, when an introvert speaks their mind and shares what they learned involving life, matters of the heart or everything in between people pay attention. In the end, introverts are awesome to have as friends and oftentimes we’re not hard to find because we are simply hiding in plain sight.