My Committee

There are perhaps more than a few people who can say truthfully that they have found their niche.  To me, this means finding an activity that keep my active, physically and mentally, and feeds me emotionally – all in all leading me through a joyful life.  Some people see little or no difference between the two.  I see a distinct difference.  In simple terms, I see joy as the big picture and happiness being the moment.  I’ve found joy in my life.

To know true joy – I define ‘true’ as a state where you don’t try to fool yourself – I compare where I am with where I’ve been.  Rather than account for my entire life, I’ll capsulate by restating from a previous posting that about two years ago I was at the bottom of my life.  Today, following a scarce three-year period or so, I embarked on a great adventure of serving the Lord - exploring, traveling, and helping others.  I do those things to experience true joy.

If I gave my new life much thought, I’d have to say that I carried with me from my previous life the characteristic that I simply don’t care for crowds or a bunch of people I don’t know.  Through my professional career, I learned to stand it for short periods.  Afterward though, I would withdraw to my private world to replenish.  Being out of your comfort zone takes the energy right out of you!

I once heard it said that I, as an introvert, have few friends but enjoy deep friendships.  An extravert, on the other hand, had many friends but the friendships were not as deep in comparison.  You think?

Another thing I once heard is an introvert typically has a committee.  Members of my committee include me, myself, and I.  We get together as needed to resolve issues that come along.  When a conflict would come up, I would retreat to the woods, or a drive along a country road, or just any place I could be alone and meet with my committee.  We would consider all aspects of the issue and rejoin the world of the living fulfilled.  The conflict was resolved.  No more discussion needed.

Conversely, an extravert has no committee.  Further, an extravert can’t imagine having a committee.  Issues of conflict are put on the table for discussion and consideration – arguing, if you will – before any hint of resolution can take place.  Welcome to the world of different personalities.

My committee and I checked the NOMADS website for the list of upcoming projects.  Wanting to move into this new opportunity slowly, I reviewed the recently posting of six 3-week periods and applied for St. Petersburg, FL; Dubach, LA; and Fayette, MO.  I scheduled time off between each period, which I discovered later to be a mistake.  I didn’t account for a lot of things, such as what to do between projects, how I would pay bills if I stayed away from my current home for more than a few weeks, and distance when traveling to and from home.  Today, I call that a learning experience.

Nevertheless, I embarked on a series of new adventures beginning in January 2011.  I'll post descriptions of those adventures as I get them written up.  I'd appreciate any comments and questions.