Being The Quiet One - By Amanda Mendenhall

Being The Quiet One

By Amanda Mendenhall

I have discovered that being the quiet person in my group of friends, in a class, or in general has many pros and cons. One of my favorite things about being the quiet person is that nobody bothers me. I love to read, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I like to be left alone when I’m reading. I also listen to music a lot. Whenever people try talking to me while I’m trying to enjoy my music I get annoyed. It’s a never ending struggle.

I’m an introvert, and I notice everything. Some of my friends get surprised when I remember small facts about them that they told me in passing four months ago, like the fact that their favorite actor is Leonard Nimoy or that they have a pet tarantula named Alice Cooper. I’m very aware of little things like that. For example, I notice that my English teacher wrinkles her nose occasionally, that my friend has a very loud voice and is an extreme extrovert, and that listening to loud music when I’m angry or upset helps me calm down.

There are some cons to being the quiet one though. My most frequent trouble with it is the feeling of being invisible since nobody talks to me. I also hate getting up in front of the class for presentations or speeches. I know that this is a part of life, and I’ll have to get over my fear eventually, but most people don’t understand why it bothers me so much.

Being the quiet one also means that people talk about EVERYTHING when you’re around, not thinking about the fact that you have ears too. You’re overlooked, and it’s kind of cool to know the daily scoop on people’s lives, but it also gets really annoying. I don’t like it when people, girls especially, constantly run their mouths about seemingly nothing. When girls endlessly talk it really aggravates me, but maybe that’s just because I don’t talk much. Loud voices and nonstop chatter is too much of a contrast to what I’m used to, since I’m always quiet.

Although there are many pros and cons, being the quiet one is something I really enjoy. As long as I’m happy with it that’s all that matters, right? Many people enjoy talking, but keeping quiet has never been a struggle of mine. It’s also really nice that I don’t get in many arguments, unless I’m passionate about the topic, because I don’t have an angry voice.