Which Parrot Are You? The Introvert or the Extrovert?

“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”
~ Mick Jagger

Okay. So, you HAVE to watch the video to the end first before you continue reading. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

So…a darling friend of mine showed a group of us this video to help explain being an introvert. We were on our way to a Bacchanalian weekend of music, food and anything else you can think of that is worth overdoing.

As I watched the two birds listen to the guitar music I was struck by how clearly the one bird represented me (the puffed up guy with the big hair and his arms in the air—duh), and how much the other, more demure bird was a dead ringer for my friend.

“Look at how the shy bird puts up its foot like, stay away from me”, she said laughing hysterically.
It really was funny. But I heard the message behind the video loud and clear, “When things get rockin’ later—go and get big somewhere as far away from me as possible.”

There are a lot of introverts in this tribe so I had to show this to you. I knew you could relate to this shy bird’s obvious anxiety.

Not everyone likes to get big. Most people don’t like to draw attention to themselves.

While watching the video of the two birds, I caught my other friend M’s eye and we made a silent pact right then and there.

She gets me. We are fellow extroverts and although we would do our damnedest NOT to embarrass our friend over the course of the weekend, I knew I had a partner in crime, someone who could out-overdo me in every way possible. Our glee would be as uncontainable as that birds and we might even wear big hats and that realization alone caused a huge smile to cross my lips. I’m pretty sure a diabolical laugh leaked out.

We were gonna dance like that freak-flag flying bird—right up next to the stage—somewhere our friend would NEVER go.
And we did.

As the weekend progressed I kept my promise to my introverted friend. She only had to push me away once when I started bear-hugging her for no good reason during a particularly rowdy song. Other than that she danced in and out of our orbit on her own terms, at moments of her own choosing.

I have a new philosophy: It looks to me be so much easier to be an introverted human than a bird. You can show a video that explains your anxiety. You can go stand in a dark corner. And you can request something other than Elvis on the guitar.

Just sayin’.

Carry on,
xox