Happy Holidays, Weird Ones x

There's a LOT more small talk at this time of year isn't there? Much more interaction with people you only half-know or don't know at all. I'm not complaining and I don't feel un-jolly, and I don't want people I only half-know, or strangers, to stop talking to me (because it's nice, everyone being jolly), it's just a bit *phew I'd like a bit more quiet space than usual and it seems there is less of it than usual*. 

When I was younger I used to think that the sense of guilt and anxiety I'd get after social interactions with people I didn't know that well was an indicator that I had done something wrong. Maybe I hadn't been entirely 'myself', or maybe I'd made a joke that someone had secretly felt hurt by, or maybe I should have said a thing that I didn't say, or maybe... I could go on indefinitely. As I got older I learned to give myself more of a break. Maybe I just feel a bit weird because... well, because I'm a bit weird. Maybe nothing is actually wrong, it's just that small talk is harder work for me than it might be for other people. Maybe I just need a little rest. There's nothing wrong with any of that. And one of the nice things about getting older is that you realise that the people who like you will have totally noticed your weirdness which means that a) you may as well be upfront about it, and b) weirdness might make small talk difficult, but needn't be a blockage to lifelong friendship (in fact, some people will like you because of it).

Just posting because I know there are other people probably feeling this too. Solidarity, fellow weirdos who like the chatterers but also like the quietness. I hope that everyone's holiday season is going well, and that you can find a quiet corner, and the company of like-minded souls, if you need it. 

Belfast's own Electra. Pic by Leigh Cartwright.