"Aren't we too introverted to blog?"

This question was asked of me, in jest, of course, by my wonderful mentor and friend, my former professor Tom McCambridge, whose re-launch of his own blog, To Redeem the Time, helped push me to finally make my own blog come to life after chewing on the idea in my head for a few years. When I first got the idea, told him about it (ah, how many ebullient and infuriated phone calls have you graciously listened to from me for the last fourteen years?), and almost demanded that he contribute to it, this question was his first response.

Of course we are both proud introverts, so we had a good laugh, but the remark does remind me of one common stereotype that is quickly denied in any writing about introversion. The stereotype is that introverts don't like people. That idea reminds me of the joke about the teen who asks her parent what a diary is, and, after the parent explains, the teen replies, "So, it was a blog that nobody read?" Nowadays with our culture of social media and confessional books and television, it's incredible to think that someone would write only for himself. That there should be something such as introspection and figuring out things through writing. While I certainly see the value of that type of writing, I still wanted to write a blog. I wanted to write something that would help me connect with other introverts, which brings me back to my agreement with the idea that it is incorrect to say that that introverts don't like people. I've even read that "introverts like people, but just in small doses." But that's not quite right, either. As any book about introversion will tell you, introverts make strong, deep connections with others. "Small doses" sounds diluted and weak. I like a few people in large doses. I think that's more like it. Oooh! With Halloween just past, I thought of a candy analogy. Let's say the extrovert gets the spoils from trick-or-treat. The extrovert empties the bag in the middle of the living room and gleefully tries the Skittles, the Starburst, the Hershey's, the M & Ms, the Snickers, the Milky Way, and the Milk Duds, and loves them all. The introvert (both my -verts love candy) ferrets out the Hershey's, because pure chocolate is the only candy worth eating, and sneaks all the pieces up to her room to savor in peace and quiet. 

I hope you enjoy these blog posts because you can read them when you like, think as long as you want if you wish to reply, and engage in the reflection that comes from not having someone there face-to-face waiting for you to fill in the awkward spots in a spoken conversation (a common complaint among introverts). I hope these posts are like the bit of Hershey's that you can take up to your quiet space and enjoy. I hope to enjoy your comments the same way.