Turn it up to 11 or down to 1? – End of the Day for August 27, 2014

You know I’m having one of “those” days when I get quiet. I run the range from extreme introvert to extreme extrovert in any given month or year, but when I am introverted I get very, very quiet. It’s not just that I don’t say a lot, I also don’t speak very loudly. My voice, usually quite presentational — especially when I am speaking in front of an audience — turns soft and slow. You might even hear my old rural Ohio accent start to creep back in. It does that when I am tired, too — or when I talk to relatives back home. It is amazing what sticks with you after so many years away.

Now, being quiet doesn’t necessary mean I am depressed. I could just be tired a bit world weary or perhaps just on the deep side of one of my introverted states. Even more importantly, it doesn’t mean I am trying to avoid conversation. In fact, I have some of my best thoughts and best conversations in this state. I think the quietness forces me to slow down and think through things before talking instead of just blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. That said, I can have some great ideas in that way, too. Yet another example of my swings from one extreme to another.

Today seems a day when the quiet is brought on by being deep in thought. I’ve had quiet a few of those moments lately, as my life is requiring a lot of thinking and deciding. This not only turns me thoughtful, but can also tired me out both mentally and physical — which, of course, reinforces the quiet.

So, I’ll see where tomorrow takes me on the scale form 0 to 11 (SMILE). Thankfully, it usually falls somewhere in the middle, but it can be difficult to know until the day begins. For all it can bring to you, I wish you a bit of quiet time, followed by a bit of loud and then a bit of the middle ground. I know it can help me do some thinking and might help you, too.

Previously on End of the Day: