The Art of Introversion

Sometimes, just sometimes, something on Facebook will catch my eye {aside from ridiculous commentary or an inappropriate photo from a long-lost "friend"}. As a high school teacher, I have been schooled by my students {no pun intended} on the de-evolution of Facebook, which is currently being taken over by Twitter and Instagram; however, I am not a high school student, and I still appreciate keeping up with old {genuine} friends from Christmas Past {I do live 1500-miles away from where I grew up} as well as those in Christmas Present. A couple days ago, my news feed informed me that two of my "friends" liked an article titled "6 Things You Thought Wrong About Introverts" {yes, I realize I am personifying my news feed}.

I have always pondered where to file myself in the introverted/extroverted conversation, so I happily opened the link for a quick read. My world was rocked. My husband is a total extrovert {like a-walking-poster-child, find-his-picture-in-the-dictionary kind of extrovert}. It is very clear that he feels most alive when being surrounded by as many people as humanly possible. He has never met a stranger, and if you need something fixed, he has a friend to do the job {I love this about him, by the way}. I, on the other hand, find {or did find} classifying myself in one of the two camps very difficult. I enjoy people. I mean, I am a teacher, so I interact with {on average} 120 students throughout the course of my day. But, this same job also offers a great deal of solo working time - lesson planning, grading, etc. I enjoy being at home, and I enjoy being alone {and when I say enjoy, I mean love to such an intense degree that I might even feel guilty about it}. Because my husband is so outgoing, I have spent the last few years trying to understand my own psychological makeup. I, too, would classify myself as outgoing - I am not timid around new people or when faced with a new experience, yet I have such a strong desire to recharge away from large crowds of people. I love running, and I love racing, but when people ask to go running with me, I hesitate for {probably} much longer than I should because it is such a sacred solo moment in my day {so sacred, in fact, that I leave my headphones at home}. For so long, I've been trying to fit myself into an extroverted box because I felt such a shame about being introverted; I thought that being an introvert meant that I was shy, awkward and, frankly, downright boring. God Bless the Huffington Post for opening my eyes to a long list of introverts who are, in fact, very sociable but also pensive and independent - Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and Gandhi.  I can now walk through life as a proud introvert, relishing my quiet moments alone and being all the better for it.

Summer Picnic // Target racerback tank, 7 For all Mankind Roxanne skinny jeans {similar here}, gray polka dot Tom's, Coach Madison Lindsay crossbody {sold out color, but available style here} & Michael Kors Bradshaw watch

How Frank approaches boxes in the back of the car {sit on them}

Home, Sweet Home

Extensive traveling does two things: (1) allows you to see and appreciate other cultures and (2) allows you to yearn for and appreciate your own. I have such an intense fascination for learning that I was {almost} overwhelmed with going abroad. The history is unparalleled, and the nuances in lifestyle genuinely piqued my interest. In Prague, I fell in love with the wall graffiti. In Germany, it was the endless bike paths. Paris amazed me with the Arc de Triomph. As for London, I am still boggled why they chose to drive on the left side of the road, but their public transportation system more than makes up for it {plus, I have a small obsession with their style}. One of the other things that I loved about Europe was their abundance of fresh fruit stands. It's no wonder they are all so thin. They eat fruit like Americans eat Snickers bars and gas station hot dogs. 

While traveling, I quickly learned the priorities of my regular life's guilty pleasures. Aside from the standard yearning for my family and friends, my body craved some American specialties {most of which are comparable to Snickers and gas station hot dogs when it comes to caloric intake}:

1. Powerade Zero {orange}
2. Skyline Chili {4-way with beans}
3. Qdoba {naked vegetarian burrito with queso & guacamole}
4. Brookside Chocolate-Covered Pomegranate
5. Pizza {from one of the many locally owned shops in Louisville}
6. The Bachelorette {shhh, I know, I've been watching it since college}
7. My bed {for obvious reasons}
8. My closet {I made it 18 days on 4 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 skirts, 7 tops, and ONE purse}
9. My cell phone {wifi is awesome, but life without 4G gets a little ridiculous}
10. MY PUPS {oh. em. gee.}

Now that I've been able to get my grubby little hands on these goodies, I can {more deeply} sit back and appreciate the arduous adventure that has now come to a close. It is so easy to look at other countries and imagine an alternate universe, but the learning happens when one can recognize how similar we really are {as human beings}. Ultimately, we are all connected, and we grow when we see how other people of our same age, job or social status interact with their geography. Traveling only made me realize that Ponyboy knew his stuff oh-so-long ago: “It seemed funny that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset" (The Outsiders).

Prague's Graffiti // "Before I die I want to ________."

Germany's Bike Paths // view from one of my morning runs

France's Arc de Triomph // Paris

London's Hipster-Prep Style // Gap skimmer jeans {sold out, but loving these} + black tee {similar here}, Polo Ralph Lauren cardigan {similar here}, Inga Creations tusk necklace + leather wrap bracelet, Michael Kors jet set watch & Jessica Simpson captoe flats.

The Pups // they have staked claim on my side of the bed