I Enjoy Being Alone

Last week was a pretty solid week in my book.

So glad I don't look like this... yet.

Turned 22 on Tuesday.

Didn't go bald the day I turned 22. Whew.

Worked hard on my "big" (read: not nearly as important as it seems) senior paper.

Enjoyed some good ol' Sabbath rest.

Yup. Solid week, indeed.

You know what one of my highlights was, though?

I got to spend a night alone. 

Yup, you read that right.

Alone. Meaning me and no wife. And in case you're confused, I'll say it again: my wife left, and I enjoyed it.

Sounds like we're having a rough time, eh? Maybe a "rocky point" in our marriage, which I probably deserve after saying that our marriage isn't that hard? Why on earth would I enjoy it when my wife leaves me?!

Well, we break the rules, remember? We're always like this.

I'll be honest - I'm always a little giddy when my wife decides she wants to spend the night with her friends. Usually, it means that I'm at home alone for a night. I don't throw wild parties or go on crazy adventures. Typically, I'm a bum (which just makes me all the more glad I'm married). However, I'm a bum that can do whatever he pleases, and that's the key.

Nights alone bring fulfillment to the introvert within me.

This is definitely an accurate representation of
me sleeping alone.

I enjoy doing whatever I want. I like having the bed all to myself (I'm a closet bed-hog). If I want to have steak or hamburgers for dinner, I can have them and not worry about the thoughts and feelings of another person. And if I want to watch low-budget documentaries or cheesy sitcoms on Netflix, I'm free to do that as well.

I can also choose to stay up late with friends, or go to bed early. Or maybe drink a cup of coffee entirely too late and stay up all night reading, surfing the internet, or playing games. It's a recluse's paradise, and I rarely share it.

However, if that were all there was to nights alone, they wouldn't be worth it.

Frankly, I love my wife. If you haven't gotten that impression around here, then you've missed something. So while I say I enjoy nights alone, what I really mean is that I enjoy a night here and there by myself, but only if my wife comes back the next day.

I can't help it - I'm a sucker for the girl I married.

I may enjoy eating whatever I want, but I love her cooking.

I may find solace in watching a movie or show alone, but it's better when she's by my side so I can pick her mind about what's going on (even if I annoy her from time to time).

I can play all the games I want, but frankly, I can't play most board games by myself.

And hey, I love having an entire bed to myself. But it's boring when I go straight to sleep without any talking, reading, or praying with my wife.

I enjoy waking up with her by my side.

And truthfully, I wouldn't trade a million nights alone for a single day with her. The introvert in me has to die hard, because I'm crazy about this girl and she destroys every notion in my mind of ever living alone.

So while I enjoy being alone (and even treasure it from time to time), I enjoy being with her more - and treasure it all the time.

... ... ...

Questions: Do you enjoy having nights to yourself? What do you do when you're alone for a night? Would you ever consider living alone for an entire lifetime?

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image credits (respectively): YOdesigner and Nafrea - sxc.hu

Changing the World

I had a breathing test the other day. I'm not really sure if I should be excited about 26% lung function, but I am!
 
I love hearing people's stories.

I desire to hear other people's thoughts.  

I guess that explains why I want to be a therapist in the future.

It's simply amazing to me how one person's individual reflections can spur on my own thoughts and push me to become more of the person I was meant to be.

This happened a few weeks ago. And it was quite frustrating, in fact.

An Open Letter to an Extrovert

The medicine I'm taking right now tastes like soap. Fifteen minutes straight of inhaling mist that takes like soap.

Dear Extrovert,

Hey! How are you doing? You see, I ask you that because I'm genuinely curious, not just because I'm polite and know how to banter. In fact, I really do like you a lot and think about you regularly. Sometimes, though, I think you misunderstand me.

You see, I'm an introvert. You know this well, and you accept me anyway - for the most part. However, I can't help but think that you have some sort of ulterior motive when you're talking to me. It's almost as if you're trying to convert me. Or cure me. I'm not sure which. As if I have some unspeakable disease that I'm suffering from, slowly dying from.

Allow me to let you in on a secret: I have no disease. There is nothing wrong with me. Frankly, I like how God made me. Introversion is not a disease - it's a piece of who I am.