I am an introvert. I like my personal space, I live alone for a reason. In order to survive I need time away from people. For reasons I won't go into that precious me-time was invaded this weekend and I spent most of my two days off either working or with other people. Now don't get me wrong I enjoyed my shopping trip, book club and brunch with friends but I came away from the weekend feeling exhausted.
This got me thinking - how do Afghans do it? Their whole lives they live in close proximity to one another. They grow up generally is small houses with big families, and then grow-up, get married and move in with the in-laws. How do introverts cope? I think personal space is a concept we in the West take for granted, but is it our own invention? There is alot to admire in these tight-knit communities where families of several generations live together and take care of one another. I think too often we in West protect our personal space too much, make our boundaries too rigid and stop other people invading our neat individual bubbles. However I just wonder are there introverts across this land wishing for the luxury of half an hour of personal space, or does that notion not even exist.
It makes me thankful for the time I do get to myself, and makes me more mindful of those around me who don't.
