I was not someone you would see in one corner of the classroom, buried in a novel during lunch hours, glasses hanging at the tip of the nose, unaware of who is around me. I preferred reading people rather than books and did exactly that; right in the middle of the classroom mingling with as many people as possible, having the loudest volume echoing down the school corridor.
'Loner' was what some people called my friends who belonged to the former category. I used to do the same; as I wondered how these people (including my high-school best friend) managed to live life in such seclusion. When asked, they would say they enjoyed solitude and that it gave them the space that they desired. Probably being the extra-extrovert that I was, the concept of "giving people their space" was met with quizzical responses from my end. For someone who counted the number of friendship bands she got on friendship day and who kept a tab on her friend list on Facebook? Well, let's just say introvertism was not something I comprehended.
Now that was school. Then little something called 'growing up' happened.
Believe me, nothing much has changed. I still prefer reading people over books, and that's exactly what I still do... only much silently, sitting in the corner, buried behind my books, glasses hanging at the tip of my nose , completely AWARE of who is around me. I probably know most people much better than their close friends know them.
Solitude is something a person like me learns to enjoy accidentally and not out of practice. Something developed out of 'escapism' or resorted to as a 'healing process' to sundry events. Honestly, it may not give me the space I desire but definitely gives me the space I require and never realised that I did.
When I join the dots backwards it all makes sense. Why these people who knew how to maintain their personal bubble are so sorted within themselves. Some of these people were definitely (as I can recall) chided for being introverts in their budding years but have emerged out to have quite strong personalities.
The best part is that there exists no trade-off between extrovertism and introvertism, something very few people understand. I have a good friend whose Facebook friend list is much longer than mine (yeah I checked; stop judging me) and is a complete social animal but insists on taking a solo trip to the hills of Northern India every year. She is by far the most interesting person I have known. Makes sure she remains in the state of equilibrium between being an extrovert and an introvert. Between an open book and a closed book. Perhaps, an open book with missing pages...
Having tasted both sides of the plate, if given a choice I would personally still choose being the extrovert who has many people waving at her each time she walks down the University corridor. However at the same time knowing that lying by the pool all day by myself on a holiday and quietly reading a book while rest of my friends are out partying brings me a strange kind of surreal joy, is quite assuring.
So there you see them around you, sitting in the corner. The extra-extroverts masquerading as the lone wolves. Waiting for the right opportunity to jump right in and once again their loud volumes shall echo down the corridor!
'Loner' was what some people called my friends who belonged to the former category. I used to do the same; as I wondered how these people (including my high-school best friend) managed to live life in such seclusion. When asked, they would say they enjoyed solitude and that it gave them the space that they desired. Probably being the extra-extrovert that I was, the concept of "giving people their space" was met with quizzical responses from my end. For someone who counted the number of friendship bands she got on friendship day and who kept a tab on her friend list on Facebook? Well, let's just say introvertism was not something I comprehended.
Now that was school. Then little something called 'growing up' happened.
Believe me, nothing much has changed. I still prefer reading people over books, and that's exactly what I still do... only much silently, sitting in the corner, buried behind my books, glasses hanging at the tip of my nose , completely AWARE of who is around me. I probably know most people much better than their close friends know them.
Solitude is something a person like me learns to enjoy accidentally and not out of practice. Something developed out of 'escapism' or resorted to as a 'healing process' to sundry events. Honestly, it may not give me the space I desire but definitely gives me the space I require and never realised that I did.
When I join the dots backwards it all makes sense. Why these people who knew how to maintain their personal bubble are so sorted within themselves. Some of these people were definitely (as I can recall) chided for being introverts in their budding years but have emerged out to have quite strong personalities.
The best part is that there exists no trade-off between extrovertism and introvertism, something very few people understand. I have a good friend whose Facebook friend list is much longer than mine (yeah I checked; stop judging me) and is a complete social animal but insists on taking a solo trip to the hills of Northern India every year. She is by far the most interesting person I have known. Makes sure she remains in the state of equilibrium between being an extrovert and an introvert. Between an open book and a closed book. Perhaps, an open book with missing pages...
Having tasted both sides of the plate, if given a choice I would personally still choose being the extrovert who has many people waving at her each time she walks down the University corridor. However at the same time knowing that lying by the pool all day by myself on a holiday and quietly reading a book while rest of my friends are out partying brings me a strange kind of surreal joy, is quite assuring.
So there you see them around you, sitting in the corner. The extra-extroverts masquerading as the lone wolves. Waiting for the right opportunity to jump right in and once again their loud volumes shall echo down the corridor!
