I'm an extroverted introvert

Watching a cloudy sunset over Lake Michigan. With white wine (in a very old jelly glass). Alone, but not lonely.

It's interesting--there is no one here this early in the season. A few neighbors come and go on the weekends, but no one stays during the week. I'm seeing weather patterns I don't normally get to see (a waterspout! A rainbow!); I watched a mother and baby deer bound down the dune and then run up the beach, leaping in and out of the water playfully; the family of eagles hunts in front of the cottages, treating me to an excellent show (they normally stay north in the short strip of beach where there are no cottages). I'm here so early because it's the first year I don't have children in the house wrapping up their school year. It's kind of a new experience.

I drove to a friend's son's graduation party on Sunday; they live on this side of the state, south of where I am, also on Lake Michigan. I only knew the hosts and one other guest, but was introduced to and sat down with a group of women who seemed interesting and so we chatted about writing, photography, kids, work. When I told told them where I had driven from (just an hour north) and that I was here by myself, one of the women--a freelance writer--asked if I was an introvert or an extrovert. I really had to think about this one.

Is it possible to be both? In certain settings I'm definitely extroverted. In others, I'm really shy and uncomfortable, although it might not show. What qualifies those terms, anyway? I think I'm on a 70/30 scale, with the bigger chunk being introverted. I really like my alone time. I don't mind having conversations with myself (I have lots of them). I get anxious when I think about someone horning in on that time if I haven't planned for it. That said, I get super itchy if I can't bounce ideas off someone else. I like asking a lot of questions and hearing people's stories. I love trying new things and meeting new people. I get a little lonely at night.

Anyway, part of getting comfortable with taking pictures of myself is also getting comfortable with me, just how I am, and not just in the physical sense. I'm an extroverted introvert. If I ever get to talk with this woman again, that's what I'm going to tell her.