Loners Are Happy People Too

If it weren’t an oxymoron, I might quip, “Loners of the world unite.” And then I’d laugh, because I’m a happy loner with a sense of humor.

I like people. It’s just that I don’t need them around me most of the time. I have fun at gatherings. But one a week . . . or month . . . is sufficient. Conversations are inspiring, but silence feels like home.

Years ago I took the Myers-Briggs personality test and learned that my diagnosis is INFJ, which stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging — a rare type (estimated to be 1 to 3 percent of U.S. population) because our characteristics are apparently incompatible with each other. I find no incompatibility between my enjoyment of people and my preference to be alone; my ability to read just about anything emotionally and intuitively and my inimitable practicality, skepticism, and love of evidence-based conclusions.

In her wonderful memoir Becoming, Michelle Obama says that if you don’t see your personal story in the cultural narrative, tell it.

As I said, I love practicality and that was a practical suggestion. So I did it.

I’m thrilled that my new essay “Walking Alone — Dangerous or Heroic?” is in the spring issue of Prairie Fire magazine, distributed only in Canada, but you can buy the issue online: Prairie Fire

And here’s a little video preview:

Originally published at https://www.betsyrobinson-writer.com.