Hello, I am an introvert and I would like to be your friend
I am an introvert.
What this means:
1. I am rejuvenated when I am able to spend time alone.
What this does not mean:
- I am anti-social or I don’t like people.
I love people. People are interesting and fascinating, and if you are reading this, the odds are good that I would like to be your friend. Watching people and seeing how they work is captivating, and just when I think I have it all figured out, people do something completely different then I expected. That moment of surprise is what I live for.
As I said earlier, I would love to be your friend. I would make a great friend, too. I listen. I give advice when it’s wanted and shut up when it isn’t. I can help you with your math homework, tell you what colors are best suited to your skin tone, and make you some really fantastic cookie bars when you’re having a bad day.
All I ask is that you give me a chance. That you don’t just immediately write me off as ‘that quiet girl in the corner.’ That you don’t instantly assume that just because I haven’t talked to you in a couple days means that I don’t like you.
That’s one of the more upsetting assumptions about introverts I’ve come across, by the way. There are a plethora of reasons that I don’t talk to people. They include:
- I have been very deeply absorbed in the novel I’m writing and have lost track of time.
- I have had too much social interaction lately, and I need to recharge.
- I’m afraid I’m annoying you.
- I think that you’re too cool for me, and any more interaction would be you humoring me.
- I don’t know what to say to you.
Note: Not knowing what to say to you is, in its odd little way, a compliment. That is what happens when my brain goes, “Here is another human being who is spectacular, who lights up the sky. What can you possibly say that will do them justice?”
I should mention that I have a multitude of words that can do people justice. It’s just that a lot of the time they get stuck somewhere between my brain and my throat. I pause to find them, but the moment is gone.
My point is, please be patient with me. In a world geared towards extroverts, it can be challenging to interact with others as easily as they seem to interact with me. Being my friend can be a slower process than it would be with someone else. Just give me time, and a little bit of space. I will relax once I’ve realized that yes, you want to be my friend, and no, it is not a joke.
I have the capacity to be such a brilliant, caring person.
Please give me the space to become that.
I do not hate you.
I do not think I’m better than you.
I simply just take extra time to find the words to tell you that you’re special.
