See, I am one of those totally socially inept people. Part of it is my social anxiety. Crippling fear compounded with a desperate desire to not appear afraid interferes with the natural censoring process built into a person's brain. This results in more conversational "oops"es than I care to admit too.
Secondly, I have trouble hearing people. It's not that I have a real measurable hearing loss, or anything, I just can't hear voices. Especially if there is background noise. So a lot of the time, I just smile and nod, because how many times can you ask someone to speak louder and s-l-o-w-e-r before giving up? It is just embarrassing and frustrating for both parties. This is probably part of why I love working with the elderly so much. When everyone around you is just as deaf as you are, there is no shame in yelling "WHAT?????" again and again.
Another reason I just can't seem to get along socially is because I have absolutely no interest in what passes for current events these days. "Paris who?" and "Nope, I haven't seen that show" punctuate almost all conversations I have with "normal" people. To make things worse, they have no interest in the things that I like to talk about. I don't understand why Little Sprout's latest antics and my garden's infestation of cabbage worms don't excite everyone in the world, but I have to accept reality.
I also have an odd sense of humor. Evidently it is one only funny to me. DH sometimes gets it, and my folks usually do, but the rest of the world? Not so much.
So that's why I blog. I actually usually have a lot to say, and this way I get to say it. The best part is I can pretend that what I write is fascinating, and no one who thinks otherwise needs to read it. I also get the chance to (most of the time) think about what I am saying before it gets sent out into the Great Void of the Internet, so I can usually construct sentences that make sense grammatically. And thank the gods for spellcheck!
The other up side to blogging (wow! 2 upsides, this blogging thing must be great!), is that I get to actually hear what others have to say. Without the worry of figuring out how to respond appropriately and in a timely manner, and without the hearing issue, I have the rare opportunity to actually process what others have to say. That is pretty darn cool to me.
6 comments:
I'm glad you like blogging because I enjoy reading what you have to say. Your honesty and decency are woven through your words.
*blush*
You know, I see a lot of myself in what you just said. I just don't seem to "get it" a lot of the time when it comes to social interaction, but at blogging speed I can take the time to sort out my words and others' (well, except on those occasions of blogging while slightly intoxicated!) And I have a hard time listening to more than one thing at a time, so I'm always asking my kids "what did you say?", especially in the car. And "current events?" I don't care who won the football game, or what the latest celebrity scandal is. And, I'm kind of a weirdo with my musical tastes and gardening and stuff. :) Blogging has helped me to see I'm not totally alone in many ways!
I'm glad you are blogging! And I'm very shy as well, so my blog is my best chance to just say what I want to say.
LOL Like you & Em, I'm also rather shy in person (though I force myself to get past it, for work at the very least), and blogging allows me that outlet, without feeling like everybody's judging me for being who I am. Most of the folks who read my blog don't also know me in person, which makes it feel a little safer to me, to spill the beans there.
Add in the fact that after 20 or 30 minutes of talking to a person in real life, I start getting jittery & shaky and even my teeth start chattering..... I have a hard time sitting down & doing that.
Oh, and TOTALLY with you on the "who gives a crap" attitude toward hollywood & entertainment. A little is fine, and I don't mind it too much, but when folks (a certain coworker, esp) start talking about nothing but..... I just wanna shake 'em and tell them to get a freaking life & stop focusing so much on these so-called celebrities.
Gosh, you guys, this is so cool! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to know I am not the only one.
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