September 2006 – Page 4 – The Zion Chronicle

Let me first start out by defining my own introversion. This will allow other introverts to see what ways they are similar to me and what ways they are different. This will also help others to have a picture of the introvert doing the writing.

First of all, being an introvert does not mean that I am socially backwards, short on friends, or envious of all the extroverts I know. Second, I claim to be an introvert based on my own habits and observations, but also based on more objective measures including personality tests such as Myers-Briggs.

I am such a complete introvert that I thought my wife was an extrovert. She informed me that she is also an introvert (based on her own observations and Myers-Briggs). To top that off though, she had no illusions that I was an extrovert.

As an introvert, I seek to stay out of the noise and confusion that is so prevalent in the world. I prefer smaller interactions which are not based on formalism or social convention. I seek autonomy.

My one-year-old has the funniest little trick. We have been meaning to get a picture of it, or capture it on video, but it is possible that we may never succeed, so I decided that I would write it down, lest it be forgotten.

Somehow she learned to drink off of flat surfaces. She likes to dump drinks on the table and then stick her face in the drink to slurp it up. One time, at a barbecue with some friends, she found my root beer sitting on the patio and she knocked it over on purpose. She then planted her face on the concrete to slurp up what daddy was drinking. Like always, she came up smiling at what a great trick she had just performed. I, on the other hand, was hoping she would not repeat the trick on concrete in the future.