Thursday, January 28, 2010

I Have a Confession

I'm an introvert.

Well, that is only part of the confession, the other part has to do with the panic attacks I've experienced the past two Wednesday nights.

Our church has a Wednesday night program, and the past two sessions I have attended a Bible study on the women of John (That would be the women found in the Gospel of John, not of John himself.)

No, that isn't the confession either.

At the beginning of each session our teacher has asked us to introduce ourselves and answer a question. The first Wednesday we were to give the name of a woman from the Bible we admire or relate too. Oh yeah, because I'm well versed in Biblical characters, especially when put on the spot. Last night we were to share what women have influenced our lives.

:::Crickets:::

You see, one of the characteristics of an introvert is that it takes us awhile to gather our thoughts, edit, prepare, re-edit and re-gather, and then we share with the group ... or would if the conversation hadn't continued and the group is now 3 topics ahead of the introvert.

Going around the circle, introducing our names and answering the question, this introvert doesn't have a whole lot of time to put together her thoughts. It doesn't help that some of the time I do have is spend on Lamaze breathing, trying to prevent that panic attack.

By the time they reach me my answer to the question usually sounds like gibberish, rambling incoherent sentences.

Maybe next week I'll excuse myself at the beginning to refill my coffee cup, and return after the introduction.

1 comment:

Melanie said...

"it takes us awhile to gather our thoughts, edit, prepare, re-edit and re-gather, and then we share with the group ... or would if the conversation hadn't continued and the group is now 3 topics ahead of the introvert"

This is the best assessment I've heard of how awkward I feel in large groups where I'm expected to participate. I can SOOO relate!