Are you an extrovert? If so, the current situation is almost certainly tough for you. This morning I came across a delightful posting by fellow photographer, Scott St. Amand. Here is an excerpt, but I encourage you to click through to his original posting. “I have a lot of extroverted friends. It’s not my fault. I am like a magnet for social people. I have tried valiantly to wear my scorn and antipathy on my sleeve, but they all brush it off as bluster and introverted bravado and then want to talk about how funny it is that I pretend that I am a hermit. An hour later, when they are done talking at me, I have already crawled into my mental hole, and they tell me what a good listener I am…a vicious cycle, indeed.”
I saw a funny Facebook post the other day about how self-quarantining and social distancing was, for introverts, the culmination of their life’s work. I saw one today that said, “Check on your extrovert friends; we are not OK.”
For a self-described hermit, who has been practicing social distancing since at least the age of twelve, I have a lot of extroverted friends. It’s not my fault. I am like a magnet for social people. I have tried valiantly to wear my scorn and antipathy on my sleeve, but they all brush it of as bluster and introverted bravado and then want to talk about how funny it is that I pretend that I am a hermit. An hour later, when they are done talking at me, I have already crawled into my mental hole, and they tell me what a good listener I am…a vicious cycle, indeed.
I even…
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Mike Powell 
Hi Mike.
Good morning, Louis. I am glad to see you liked Scott St. Amands posting. It strikes me that many nature/wildlife photographers are introverted–certainly we don’t have to interact with our subjects in the same way that portrait photographers do.
This is fantastic! My brother called the other day to see how I’m doing, and I said, “Social distancing is no big deal. I’ve been a hermit my whole life.”
I told my disoriented, socialite neighbors, “Welcome to my world, suckers!”
For some strange reason, though, like a moth to a candle, social people are drawn to introverts. I suppose our mysterious intrigue is like a magnet, or maybe we are a breath of fresh air in a world where high social demand can leave you feeling empty and used.
I like the notion that we are mysterious or a breath of fresh air, though it is a mystery to me why so many people are uncomfortable being alone or being in silence. I guess that some folks are just not prone to introspection and maybe are not as comfortable with themselves as they pretend. The world wants us to assess our own self worth by judging and comparing, while social distancing forces us to look at ourselves literally in isolation. Thanks for you comments, David.
Really enjoyed reading your comment here Mike and was totally taken with “social distancing forces us to look at ourselves literally in isolation” which struck me as very wry, funny, and insightful. LOVE this 🙂
Thanks, Liz. I think that you know well from my postings that I enjoy expressing myself in words as well as in images. The words are not as poetic as those of our mutual friend Damien, but sometimes they bit the mark–it’s a real blessing when someone finds them to be “wry, funny, and insightful.” Thanks.
Nice one, thank you for sharing
Love it! So glad we can find humor in the gloom!
If we don’t laugh, we will cry. 🙂
Blaise Pascal said “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Just saying.
“All” might be a slight exaggeration, but I agree with the general thrust of his statement.
Fun quote. This quarantine is not as challenging for the quiet ones, as for the extroverted. I’m seeing that amongst my friends, too. Not having to be somewhere but home is a blessing, IMO. 😉
Ever since I retired last year, I’ve gotten used to spending most of my time alone, often at home. I too find that to be a blessing.