Hi Wild Coyote,

Your response to bluebicycle has made me think about the types of personalities that we human beings have. I'm specifically thinking about the extrovert - introvert dyad. And I'm thinking of the definitions that say the extrovert is one who obtains energy via interacting with others and the introvert is one who loses energy via interacting with others. And the opposite is also true. The extrovert loses energy when left to her/his internal resources and the introvert gains energy via being on one's own and left with and to one's own self. Neither is "wrong" nor is one "better" than the other. Both are needed in a society to keep it balanced.

I sometimes think that I'm "inferior" because I don't jump right into a social gathering and quickly become the one around whom all others flock and from whom everyone wants attention. This is not who I am, it's not who I want to be, and for sure, therefore, I'm not ever going to become that kind of personality. But this doesn't, in any way, make me "less than." I, like everyone of us, have my own gifts, skills, and aptitudes to use within the whole of the human family. Just because, in general, our society and culture thinks being an extrovert is more rewarding does not, in any way, make this kind of thinking correct. I doesn't.

I can certainly perceive that others can dislike me and I feel bad, which brings up another one of my irrational beliefs: I can make everyone like me, all of the time, if I just DO something for which everyone will approve. Ain't ever going to happen!

Writing here makes me think of one other, last thing. I've gotten to where I like to greet others when passing along the street. Many greet me in return. However, some seem to ignore the greeting and this can be for numerous reasons. Not being acknowledged in return can make me feel bad. But then, with the help of my therapist, I decided that whether someone ever acknowledges my greeting is not so important as my remembering that my greeting of others acknowledges ME! My acknowledging others is actually acknowledging that I exist and it doesn't so much matter if the other person even realizes that I'm passing by!

I wanted to write because I hope that these few words might ignite within others their own creative spirits so as to possibly turn something that might seem negative into something positive.

HAPPY NEW YEAR every day of 2020. . . .

Coxhere