The Path Forward – Part 5

Day 44 of 100, Hannover, Germany

I started writing this one almost 2 weeks ago, flashing by fields, towns, stations, borders, on our way from Denmark to Germany for the second time. Family calls, and the train journey soothes. Over the past week and a bit, I’ve been adding and adding to it, so it’s coming to you in parts.

Continued from yesterday.

Some of us are temperamentally more observers than interactors. I’ve never been the life of the party, and I never will… unless that party is me and a bottle of wine. I do find myself wishing at large social gatherings, that I knew how. Particularly when I have that many friends who can walk in a room and own it just by being there. I watch Flemming flip the switch on this mode at social ‘dos, partly in awe, partly in envy, and partly in relief that someone else is doing all that heavy social lifting.

I have no idea where to start and little interest in learning (I know, I’m a bad person). For me, decoding the combination of conversation subject, syntax, meaning, facial expression and body language for every person I come across, is enough action for this poor little brain. If I have one good conversation at a networking thing – which in my mind, are about as conducing to good talk as a hungry velociraptor is to the success of a luau – I count it a victory. I’ve come to realize though, that not everyone who attends social events is a raging extrovert. A decent amount of other people who don’t like parties go to them, because it’s part of the job.

Speaking of jobs, which was where this series of posts started….