Give a SHOUTOUT for the Introverts!

     With sheltering these days, the trash goes out more often than we do. But give a shoutout to us introverts who are modeling what comes naturally: living in contented solitude.     
     Our calm ways are often underrated in this noisy world, yet author Susan Cain says introverts make this culture blossom. “Some of our greatest ideas, art, and inventions - from the theory of evolution to Van Gogh’s sunflowers to the personal computer - came from quiet and cerebral people who knew how to tune into their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there.”     
     We introverts have felt like odd ducks because we live in one of the most extroverted nations in the world. Yet statistics reveal there are slightly more introverts than extroverts in the U.S. But pop culture has led us to believe (falsely) that flamboyancy is the gold standard for making it socially and at work.     
     That hasn’t always been the case, says Cain, author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.” There was a time when character, not flashiness, defined a person, she says. Not anymore. Society demands that everything must be marketed, even our personalities. Think about the trend to rebrand oneself to project the “right” image. What pressure!     
     So for those of you who prefer deep conversation over small talk, relish your strength. And for those of you who are extroverts. Well, you have something to offer, too.     
​     But not everything.