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stoutfellowI feel that I should clarify something. I said earlier that my Christmas would be "quiet and solitary". In saying this, I was not complaining. I am a moderate introvert - not at the "counting my spoons" level, but I am quite content being by myself. I have my dogs; I have my books, my music, my DVDs; I have my research, and I have many other things that fill my supposed solitude. (Scipio Africanus said that he was never less alone than when he was alone, as he had a library containing the works of the finest minds of Greece and Rome. My library, though perhaps not of so high a quality, is much larger than his.) Beyond that is the Internet, by means of which I keep contact with a host of friends and acquaintances.
"But you're a teacher!" Yes, for nearly forty years; and over the years I have learned to pretend to be an extrovert. I'm pretty good at it, I think, when I'm "on stage". But that's a mask, which I can doff at leisure. (Yes, I know what they say about wearing masks, and about "who we pretend to be"; but even if true, I see no harm in it, to me or to others.)
It would probably be bad for me to retreat into full isolation; thankfully, I have my job - for the next four or five years - and even after I retire, I will still have the 'Net, my family - whom I *will* visit - and those who live and work near me. But being alone for a time bears no terrors for me.
"But you're a teacher!" Yes, for nearly forty years; and over the years I have learned to pretend to be an extrovert. I'm pretty good at it, I think, when I'm "on stage". But that's a mask, which I can doff at leisure. (Yes, I know what they say about wearing masks, and about "who we pretend to be"; but even if true, I see no harm in it, to me or to others.)
It would probably be bad for me to retreat into full isolation; thankfully, I have my job - for the next four or five years - and even after I retire, I will still have the 'Net, my family - whom I *will* visit - and those who live and work near me. But being alone for a time bears no terrors for me.
