what not to say… to an introvert

I’ve decided to add a new categories of posts, called “What not to say…” It’s like a dorky writer version of What Not to Wear. (Yes, your friends have reported you. We have evidence of your actions. You’re about to get ambushed.)

And because so many people can relate to being introverted, I’m tackling that one first. So here we go. Here’s what not to say to an introvert:

“Don’t you like people?” Um you, right now, not so much. But in general, yes. Our desire to embrace solitude has nothing to do with a dislike of people. But we’d rather hang out with smaller groups and reserve plenty of “me time” so we can process everything. It’s hard for extraverts to understand that. For them, more people = more fun. For us, more people = more stress. (more…)

oh hello, ticket-taker

Last night, I stuck into a movie.

I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t some covert op I had planned beforehand. In fact, there was nothing covert about it.

My husband and I met up with a group of his co-workers to check out The Avengers (an excellent movie, by the way). And like a good little planner, I figured I’d stop by the ladies’ room before the movie. As we were standing near the ticket line, I spotted the restroom across the way, near the concessions. So I strolled over there (took me about five minutes). On the way, I passed a guy sitting by a table. I made eye contact, smiled, and kept walking.

When I came out of the bathroom, the group stopped by concessions and then we headed in to the movie. Once we sat down, I realized… we hadn’t shown anyone our tickets. (more…)

four eyes see more than two

When I was 7, I got my first pair of glasses. It wasn’t exactly a surprise. When your parents and grandparents all have less-than-perfect vision, no one’s shocked that you need glasses.

I married a man with perfect vision. He can open his eyes in the morning and see clearly. It’s annoying. Especially when he says, “Really? You can’t see that?” No dear. Without some form of vision correction, my world is a bunch of fuzzy shapes. Thank you for reminding me how well you can see everything.

And it occurred to me all the things I’ve learned over my nearly 20 years of vision correction. So here it is. A few things we “four eyes” know that you perfect vision folk will never understand. Life lessons that came from our imperfect eyeballs. (more…)