"Quiet as a Church Mouse"

Apparently, this is a way to describe me. Or, at least, it was this afternoon (and has been on several occasions) at work study. And I must say, it's very irritating.

For one thing, why a church mouse? Are mice in other buildings or homes particularly noisy? Can't say I've ever run into a noisy mouse myself. The mice in The Night Before Christmas are quiet. This is not my point...moving on.

For another thing, at work study, I'm an editor. Editing is not a particularly loud job. I was the only one in the office and I was working. Who exactly am I supposed to be talking to? Am I supposed to be serenading all the people in the neighboring offices with my secret singing talent? Should I be doing cartwheels? Practicing my martial arts moves? Pretending I have terets syndrome for that non-existent acting role? How much noise should one working as an editor be making?!

And lastly, also most importantly, when (and why) did being quiet become a negative personality trait? I am sure it shocks those of you who read this blog to know that I am often a quiet person. It may surprise you to know, however, how this one piece of the puzzle named Karen, constantly brought to my attention, is really an insult. "You're so quiet!" "You should speak up more!" As if I am not ok the way I am...the way God made me. Class participation grades are even biased toward the "non-quiet" students. Relatedly, I am an introvert. Also shocking, I know. Being an introvert means certain things about me, and being quiet is not the biggest of those...being quiet is often, rather, the result. Being an introvert means that my brain works differently. I don't jump right into a conversation because my brain processes information more slowly and my processing takes place internally. Being an introvert means that I get my energy from being alone and having, yes, quiet time to recharge. The social conception that introvert is bad and extrovert is good makes me very angry. Neither one is good or bad, they are just different. In her call process, a great friend of mine has been asked at least once, if not more, how she will handle herself being an introvert and a pastor. I am enraged by this question! I am enraged because I highly doubt that an extrovert would be asked the same question, which implies that extrovert & pastor go together better than introvert & pastor. And, believe it or not, more than half of pastors are introverts.

So I'm a quiet person. I like it. If you don't like it, too bad. It's who I am and I am no longer ashamed. Being quiet is one piece of my complex and rich personality. If you want to know me, get beyond the quiet comments. There's much more to know about me.

I'm a quiet person. Deal with it.