he was a quiet man

i am so lucky to have blog readers who think i'm cooler than i really am.

i was the shy kid at school.
i am still the shy kid as an adult.
but i fight it every day.

Got to Give It Up - Marvin Gaye

i relish in solitude. i know that a majority of our personalities came already programmed when we were born, but i believe that you can learn the skills necessary to compensate for interactions in the real world. when i was young my parents would excuse my behavior by telling others "well, she is just shy". i began to accept it, claim it, and hide behind that label. i now mask it well, i am a careful listener, ask great questions and can chat with anyone, anytime. i had to develop this skill in order to survive with a career in the public eye. most who have recently met me would never know how truly difficult social situations are for me. i now try to sieze the opportunity not only to seek out others who i do not know, but to gently begin training myself in the art of friendship and conversation.

if only it were so easy

it could go like this:
me: "hi, i'm devin, want to go shopping?"
stranger: "sure. let's be best friends."
me: "okay."
end scene.


well, maybe not. that would actually be pretty weird.