The Early Bird

Having always had an interest in psychology, the difference between introverts and extroverts has been something I’ve contemplated more than once over the years. Defined by Meyer’s Briggs personality testing as an INFP type, an introvert to the core, my idea of a great night is a good book, a hot bath, and a truckload of chocolate I don’t have to share with anyone. Every activity I participated in growing up were solo missions. In high school, my choice Friday night event was a movie rental watched from the comfort of my own bed. The older I got, the more difficult it became to find time to myself. Parties and hangouts became the norm and this particular introvert was forced to find a new way to recharge…. And so, I became an early bird. Being alone to recharge feels like the only option I really have. Always up before the sun, those two hours before the rest of the world stirs is the time where you’ll find me at my finest. I write, I read, and most importantly… I think.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t enjoy spending time with friends. I love a good party almost as much as any extrovert. The difference being, that not only do I have to spend time and energy psyching myself up for it, during the event itself, I’m also hyperaware of how I’m being perceived. I’m monitoring the situation and gauging the responses to my actions. All you introverts out there know how exhausting that can be! Factor in the early morning wake up, and by the time midnight rolls around, I’ve pretty much given all I can and I’m forced to turn the party over to the extroverts, aka the night owls.

I’m envious of the extroverts in my life, truly I am. They engage in the late hours as though they don’t have a care in the world. They’re living in the moment. They’re enjoying the drink in their hand, the song they’re listening to, and the company they keep. They aren’t thinking about tomorrow. So even though the early birds may catch all the worms, those night owls sure look like they’re having more fun!