While driving my long drive home home I noticed a sign outlined in bold red,
“Reiki treatment for shyness.”
I hate this. Sometimes Wellness clinics go too far. I don’t see anything unhealthy with being shy. As though it is an illness to be healed. This in-your-face culture is what we have become and it gets me down. To many reality shows galore to bore bore us. Why should we all be confident, outspoken and extroverted? This sounds like death death to me and it gives me a headache too.
Today at Trader Joe’s I went to get some free yummy coffee coffee. I noticed the pot was bubbling and empty. I said to the mature lady behind the counter,
“Hey, The coffee cow is empty.” Saying this directly and softly to her as she avoided my face.
She must have heard me because she quickly replaced it with a new full pot of hot hot coffee. Talking the whole time with a group of mature women. I was not included in the conversation. I felt it. I became a shadow shadow that bothered them for a short time. Was it because I was too young, or was it my tattoos, or maybe the pimple on my chin? No that was not it. It is because these ladies had the talk down. That talk talk that is so peer peer la de da older women talk. They talk low and from their deep voice. Vacuum intense where the whole world is just focused in on them them. In this maze of healthy shopping charts. I am not part of their hub hub.
Professors and older christian missionaries with PhD’s are like this too. I’ve been around them too much at the university university. They give their their lectures of the century. Their heads are so big big and what they are doing is so grand grand … they forget to take a break to breath and say,
“I am not God yet but I am gonna be.”
Man this makes me sick sick with fervor when I get around these types of women.
Being shy, lack of confidence and being an introvert is a normal part of life and I like it. I am so tired of hearing that it is strange, weird and stupid.
“Your son, he is so quiet?”
The nice lady teacher says to me, while the rest of the kids all bazooka out. Hey, you should be happy happy that a child is paying attention and is sensitive to their environment Mrs Teacher Teacher.
Being Shy and introverted is cool. It means one is respective. Being respective means being engaged with the world around you. The activity of the brain, heart and mind is an amazing quality to have… one is in tune like a tuning fork!
This is why we all love love beer, poetry, beautiful art, Carl Jung, surfers, punks, beatniks, Ross from GBH and James Dean. I include my two sons and myself in this gander of shyness.
We tend to stand obscurely behind the lines making faces at the loud important people who are so full of themselves they forget to squeeze out a fart fart.
So full of themselves that they can not even realize that there are others more intelligent than they are, and unlike them, have instead chosen not to brag about it.
Braggadocio braggadocio take a look at yourselfcio and get over yourself!
Reiki for shyness. Wow. As an extrovert, it’s touching to hear the other side of the coin.
Becca
it is! x
I always thought it was the pimple on my chin also. Happy to know it’s something so much deeper and heartfelt. Reiki for shyness – frightening!
Shy people are some of my favorite favorite people. Cheers to James Dean and all the other introverted rebels out there!
My son was polite in preschool and his teachers told me they thought he had confidence issues. Because he waited his turn instead of knocking kids over to get to toys. When did having manners become a bad thing?
I understand… u should be proud…!!
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. A long title but maybe that’s the point. A book just released this year. I’m an introvert, and often misunderstood. I hear you. We ought to rule the world.
Looks like I will be reading a new book… I learned though Carl Jung and more recently Elizabeth Wagele about introversion… it is ok to be shy and introverts tend to get our energy supply by being alone…. for me being around others a lot… drains me…Extroverts are fueled up by being around others and feel drained alone… hahah… both are good but not everyone sees it this way.
I just love this post to pieces. I, too, am an introvert, and it took me a long, long time to see that as an asset, rather than as something to “get over.” I agree with Stephanie, if you haven’t read Quiet, it is definitely worth the time. That book completely changed my relationship with myself, and with the people around me. Introverts really ought to rule the world. And we can. Quiet tells us how.
In the past, I was the extrovert, until I couldn’t be that anymore. Now, I just can’t do it. I’m quieter. I’m almost shy. But people who have known me forever expect me to be outgoing, urging me to be “out”. I don’t want to!
Well written!
Me too… I feel there are times that I have to be out going… but I do not have the desire to be… thank you !
Man, i love love your angle.
I have become increasingly quiet as I get older, and always seek out other quiet ones to chat to at parties and social functions. I also really love your double double speak. It adds a great rhythm to your stuff. Also it drives me BATTY when people assume that because I am quiet I am dumb or stupid or all three… (note: this happens especially when I’m out with a big group of guys, older people or when I am blond(er)… Props to your post Jung, good beer beatniks and your fam 🙂
Thankx
This was great. I am also an introvert and for the longest time I felt like there was something with me. I learned to be outgoing when I need to be, but I definitely embrace the real me now, and I even kind of like the real me 🙂
It seems like you are willing to speak up for yourself when you need to (the coffee) and surely that’s all you should really need to do!
He He…this is true..
I’ve always been an introvert who can pretend to be an extrovert as needed. People never see me as shy. The older I get, the more I squelch the part of me that speaks out loud. I wish I had reiki to shut me up for good.
I try to be as honest as I can be…