Feast or Famine

Soap Box Rant #325


Never explain - - your friends do not need it and your enemies will never believe you anyway. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

Last week, I was trying (unsuccessfully) to explain to someone that I was a real "people person," yet a loner. Personally, I don't get what's so hard to understand about that. (To generalize) I love people and people love me. I can pretty-much hold my own in social settings and I have real life friends and experiences that prove it (really I do!). It's just that my life isn't like an episode of Friends, or Sex and the City, or hell, any sitcom. I don't do lunch with my girlfriends at the diner down the street. I don't go to a bar where "everybody knows my name." And I don't have an "entourage." It's just me and my road-dawg . . . who just happens to be *ahem* a real dog. Of course, the more I tried to explain this "phenomenon," the more I sounded like a total douche-bag. "No seriously! People love me! I'm awesome. Really!"

Needless to say, that battle was lost. (I hate interviews!) These past couple days have been a whirlwind, however, and everyone's been coming out of the woodwork (including myself). It all started with the 4th of July parade. I ran into a bunch of folk I hadn't seen in a while and exchanged numbers with people I'd never seen before in my life. The next day I went to a salsa club and coincidentally met up with 6 people. 3 of them were good friends, and the other 3 I didn't know very well but by the end of that night we were all best friends. I visited my twin sister the next day. We listened to music, and I helped her fill a baby swimming pool while her little ones played out in the sun.

I went to lunch with an old acquaintance a couple days later. Talked for hours with 2 good friends I hadn't heard from in months. Yesterday I stopped by my favorite sorority sister's house to visit her and her new baby and watch a video that I put together for another one of my sorority sisters that I will be seeing tomorrow night. Tonight, however, I will be going to a sushi spot with one of my best friends from college. And this Monday through Friday I will be spending vacation with my bestest friend forever at the happiest place on earth (uh, that would be Disney World yall).

Now, as I mentioned previously, I am generally a loner and this is not the norm. I really don't get out much. Half these people I haven't seen in months, some of them in over a year. (But the beauty of my friendships are that they always pick right up where they left off. Never missing a beat.) Most of my days are spent peeling off my toenails in front of a computer screen or out on long hikes with my dog-child. I don't get a lot of company at my apartment and for the most part I'm pretty content with that. But I guess, when questioned, even I need proof that there isn't something wrong with me. And despite my crazy weeks, that one simple question, "Are you a people person?" really had me second guessing myself.

But you know what? Deep down inside I think that I'm the norm. I think that most people are like me, picking at their toenails (or noses--I don't judge), while watching tv or checking email. Walking their dogs, or buying tampons at Walgreens, and just doing normal, everyday sh** that doesn't include being surrounded by a bunch of people and doing exciting, adventurous stuff everyday. I think to a certain degree everyone has a little "loner" in them. Some people just have the (burden?) (advantage?) of actually living alone.

Anywho, in life it's always feast or famine. Either I'm the coolest, most happening chick around town. Or I'm the most boring, loser-y person there is. Either I'm making loads of money or none at all.

But whatever this month has in store, I know that after this week, I am going to be burned out. I'm putting up the "closed" sign and turning off the phone. Ms. Green can only be a "people person" in spurts.