I always hear people say that they’re either an introvert or an extrovert. And I claimed for the longest time that I was an introvert. I am and I’m not. I’ve come to the realization that you can be both.

I am a total hermit most of the time. I work from home, and there are days that I don’t leave the house (sad, I know).

But I am a hermit that craves social interaction. If you get me around my friends or a group of fun, outgoing people, I am a total extrovert. I love cracking jokes, making people laugh, and talking other’s ears off.

I guess you could say I’m a selective extrovert. There are only certain social scenarios where I think, yeah this sounds fun, let’s go do it. It’s been over two years since I’ve stayed up past bar close, and that was for a friend’s bachelorette party. And I distinctly remember thinking, there’s no way I’m going to make it past ten. And then when final call came I thought, oh my god, oh my god, I made it.

Let’s just say I was proud of myself.

I’m not an extrovert in that I dislike large crowds of people (think night club or mall). And I’m not an introvert in that I don’t always like being alone.

I saw someone describe it as a spectrum, and like with most things in life I totally agree that it is a spectrum, rather than you’re either one or the other.

Most days I love hunkering in over a cup of coffee and working, journaling and getting after my various projects. There’s almost nothing better than a night home alone, with a hot bath, plate of nachos and watching more than my fair share of YouTube videos.

But for me there has to be a balance.

Because I also really enjoy weekly get togethers with friends, catching up over a mug of coffee, Nutella crepes or a glass of wine. I like going out to dinner with Michael just as much as I love staying in and cooking a meal with him too. And there are days I just need to go sit and work from a coffeeshop even though I know I’m not as focused as I would be at home.

I’ve talked before about finding my own personal balance, because I can tell that I have been lacking in the social interaction department lately.

So, I’ve been challenging myself to say “Yes!” more often to invitations, to be the one arranging get togethers myself, and not waiting for others to initiate it.

I’m far from perfect and I’ve got a long ways to go, but I’m continuously improving, finding new ways to get out into the world, and hoping to find that equilibrium between my solo and social time.