I’m an outgoing person. Well, not always, but at least 50% of the time. The other 50%, I’m something of a loner. Not because of any inherent shyness — I just like the time to quietly sort out my thoughts.
I’m also what you might call a nervous sharer. I tend to overshare strange details of my life when I’m uncomfortable. Maybe there’s an awkward silence, maybe you won’t shut up and I’m trying to shock you into silence, or our personalities aren’t jiving, or I don’t know anyone and everyone else knows each other, or I’m overly tired, or overly inebriated or maybe I’m just bored.
Knowing these 2 aspects of my personality, is it any wonder I’ve had some super awkward person to person interactions over the years? Maybe you would assume that the potential for those interactions would exponentially increase while traveling given how many new people one meets ever day and the plethora of uncomfortable situations a traveler can find herself in.
Oddly enough, I’ve found the opposite to be true. The more traveling I do, the less awkward I am. I think it’s a combination of there being less pressure to make a great impression (after all, you’ll probably be meeting a whole new batch of people tomorrow) and due to the necessity of simplifying your initial interactions with people (otherwise you’ll spend your whole trip telling people where you’re from, where you’ve been, where you’re going, how long you’re traveling for, and what you do).
Similarly, blogging has also helped because when I write a post, it gives me the chance to edit my thoughts (whether I actually edit is a whole other matter) into a more streamlined and logical projection than what usually comes out of my mouth. Obviously, I still have a ways to go…but it is getting better.
🙂 That’s all, just wanted to share some positive side effects of traveling and blogging. 🙂
Green Eyes, Gypsy Soul 