Mayra was rushing back home from work, all the way thinking about what excuse could she possibly make to skip her friendâs party. Not feeling well? Nah, She would know Iâm lying. Lot of work? Nah, She would say I can do it on weekend. Damn, why did I have to agree to go in the first place? Stupid drunk decisions! I know Iâll have to fake smile the entire time and try my best to make small talk with a bunch of random strangers, she thought to herself.
Growing up an introvert is a tough task in this overly social society. Her most dreaded questions that people keep asking her in parties were playing in her head â Why are you so quiet? Why arenât you speaking anything? Are you okay? Are you bored?â What possible replies do people expect of such questions? Her mind was going into a frenzy. She stepped in to take a hot shower and calm her nerves down. âItâs just one night, you can do that much for a friendâ she was trying her best to convince herself to go.
She got dressed extremely casually, took a cab and finally reached the venue. Standing outside the door, she took 3 deep breaths because her dad always told her itâs the best way to stop your anxiety, three deep breaths is all it takes. She finally rang the doorbell and was greeted by her friend who was already super sloshed. Thatâs a good start, she wondered. After exchanging some customary hugs with the few people she knew at the party, she grabbed a glass of wine and ran towards the balcony. She was surprised at finding it not empty. There was a guy standing with a glass of whisky in his hand, just staring at the sky. She went ahead and stood beside him quietly.
Few minutes later someone shouted from inside âArjunâ , the balcony guy finally broke his silence and said, âMy cue to go, the balcony is all yoursâ passed a smile and left. Mayra couldnât help but blush a little. Even though she was happy to have the balcony all to herself, she wanted him to stay a little while longer. When two strangers find comfort in silence, it has got to mean something. She came back to reality and was observing people inside just dancing, laughing , talking and having a great time. Why can I never do that? She was going into her self-critical zone, which doesnât end well at all. She turned to look at the sky again when someone tapped her shoulder from behind. It was Arjun.
Is it okay if we share the comfortable silence again? He asked.
Haha yes please, she replied.
So, how is the introvert life? He asked.
She was surprised at the question, no one ever called her an introvert outright. Umm, not so good I guess. I was just wondering why I could never be like the people inside. They always have a baller time and I always end up in the balcony alone, she replied.
Well, you are not alone today. Why do you want to be like these people inside though? He asked.
Umm, I just think they might be living their 20âs better than I am, she replied.
Okay, is their living the only way we are supposed to live? He asked
Noo, I am not saying that but it looks a lot better way than mine at least, she replied.
You know why they have a good time? Itâs not because they are extroverts or they know how to make small talk. Itâs because they know who they are and they have accepted it. Accepting yourself for who you are is a revolutionary act in itself and thatâs what you should do too. I know it will take time, I know it wonât be easy, I know there will be times the insecurities will come to haunt but I also know that you shouldnât be scared, you shouldnât hide anymore and you definitely shouldnât be in your comfort zone anymore.
That was a lot, she thought to herself. But it made sense somehow, he was right. Her 20âs were the years she should be utilizing to finally get over her insecurities and accepting her for who she is, otherwise she will lose out on the best years. Someone from inside called Arjun again, he turned towards her, let out his hand and said âIt was really nice meeting you stranger, I hope 2018 is your year.â She shook his hand and he left.
The party was coming to an end, she went to her friend, gave her a hug and thanked her for the wonderful party and left. She was sitting in the cab and thinking about what Arjun had said about acceptance. Why is the world always trying to highlight peopleâs insecurities to them instead of accepting people for who they are and just letting them be? Would make things a lot easier, wouldnât it? But to bring a change, we have to fight for acceptance and only then will we get what we want â to be treated normally for who we are.
She smiled to herself, a few words from a stranger had given her enough strength to finally introspect and bring a change. 2018 started out right!
She reached her home and as she was getting down from the cab, she got a notification on her phone â Arjun Chopra sent you a friend request. She had the biggest grin on her face, this will be my year, she proclaimed to herself and hit accept.