“People from the northeast are so rude/straightforward/abrupt.” Or so I’ve heard. My experience is more that if you ask a stranger for directions in those places, they’re going to give you directions and move on. No small talk about the day or why you’re going there or the weather or where you’re from. But I’m … Read more
I have a variety of connections on Facebook. Some of them are people I talk to outside of Facebook; many are not. Over time, I’ve seen photos of friends with a partner who is not their spouse. After some trolling of photos, I deduce that they got divorced at some point and this is someone … Read more
It’s been almost a year since my household stopped doing normal life. The last time we went to the climbing gym was March 14. I’m sure we ate out that night. Some things have been hard. There are people who I would see casually, not necessarily people I’d set up a Zoom with, who I … Read more
As a kid, I was introverted and completely content to be either alone or with one or two good friends. I had no interest in meeting other people. Also, I rarely looked for more than what was already in my orbit. I’d choose a book to read from the classroom library, skipping the school or … Read more
I was in a writing group. We were generally friendly, offered feedback to each other on our work with both give and take on “negative” feedback. (So grateful for that. Can’t get better without constructive criticism, and we, culturally, are extremely averse to it.) One person in the group was extremely unpleasant. Would talk much … Read more
Is it an introvert thing or a thing of people with social anxiety to hate making phone calls? I recognize it’s irrational, and I generally don’t mind talking on the phone once I’m engaged in a conversation, but making a call? Terrible. A week prior, a friend had texted. “Have you talked to [mutual friend] … Read more
As an introverted child, I did a lot of people-watching. I noticed people who were boorish and didn’t notice others’ fake smiles and “oh look at the time!” exits. I saw people who droned on about disinteresting things and didn’t notice others’ eyes glazing over. I was so scared about being one of those people, … Read more
Tempe Town Lake is a man-made lake not far from here where you can use a paddleboat or a kayak or go fishing. It’s also a popular location for triathlons. The water is not crystalline. When I swam in Tempe Town Lake, I couldn’t see my hand at the end of my completely outstretched arm. … Read more
I wrote in May about sharing things you feel good about on social media—getting exercise, baking, creating art. (You can revisit that post here.) At the end of that post, I indicated I had a tangent from it that I would share tomorrow. I have a huge stash of drafts. Some just notes. Some partially … Read more
Here in Arizona, the governor recently announced that public school buildings are closed for the rest of this school year. (Schools aren’t closed; the buildings are closed.) Teachers and principals are still working. I’m sad for all of the kids and teachers and parents who had something in the fourth quarter to look forward to. … Read more