Reflective Randomness

I’m an introvert. That probably takes no one by surprise. Ironically, though, I can be an extremely social person, and I love spending time with my friends. Last night, Karen and I went to the theatre with some friends, and hung out at a coffee shop afterward until late hours, and I loved it. At the end of the day, though, in order for me to recharge, I need to be alone, often for an extended period of time. If I socialize for too long, I get annoyed with people and start thinking of them in derogatory ways. So, I’ve learned to know my limits.

So, this afternoon, while my wife was at work, I wandered over to the local Barnes and Noble to do some reading. I didn’t know anyone there, nor did I particularly want to. I wanted to read and be left alone. Partly for that reason, and partly because the music that was playing in the store was horrible, I was happy to plug my iPod into my ears and provide my own background music, removing the distraction of other noises and allowing me to focus on my reading.

It’s interesting, though, to watch people interact and go about their business without sound. People talking with friends at tables, other people flying solo like me that were just there for the coffee and books. Its fascinating to observe others’ nonverbals. After all, a good writer is a good observer of life.

What was funnier, though, is that, as I was absorbed in the photo-essay I was reading in the Georgia Review, there were two men that sat down behind me. Since the only real reading I was doing at the time was of captions, I was mostly looking at images. But the sound-bytes of conversation I picked up between songs made for curious commentary. I think they were closing a business deal. Against the mental backdrop of photos from Iraq, however, it was funny…in an offbeat, gallows-humor sort of way.

See? There’s all sorts of experiences that you can’t appreciate if you don’t isolate yourself every now and then.

I’m still curious, though, why that girl was wearing a Santa cap…

2 Comments

  1. So Dave, I miss your writing for the ta. This is more relevant to some of your past posts but I’m playing catch-up here. I am reading Jack Spong’s autobiography. He is that crazy liberal Episcopalian priest who spent 3 years here in Lynchburg in the late 60’s at St. Johns before he went on to national prominence. He very easily thinks outside the box which I admire. Although I am fairly far from his view of God and the Bible I like his desire to not close God in (I don’t think he realizes he has done this when he throws out the miraculous in Scripture). Anyway, I am re-evaluating what is docrinally essential to christianity and I’ve come down to only 2 things, the incarnation and the atonement/resurrection. Everything else is window dressing.

    Merry Holidays in Jesus to you and Karen.
    christine e.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.