A few years back I noticed a book called Shyness: What it is. What to do about it. at my neighborhood garage sale. While I normally dislike self-help books, this particular one intrigued me. There was an image of a girl (maybe a woman) hiding behind a "tear" in the cover. What type of shy person buys a book with an image that would make a passerby question your emotional stability and the word SHYNESS as a large headline. I should have scrapped the book then and there.
I took the book with me to college, with the thought that I would one day get my 25 cents worth of advice. Eventually (a few weeks back), I decided it was now or never. To my surprise and delight the first few pages were describing personalities just like mine; people that would take alternative routes to avoid small talk, people who weren't always quiet, people who just didn't know how to interact. I continued, hoping that there'd be some resolution. However, it kept going on and on about these people and I began to realize that the writer was not shy. He was looking at the bugs inside the jar.
Although I didn't get anything out of the book I learned that I wanted to find someone (people) just like me and I wanted to know that it'd be okay. Perhaps someone will read this and relate in the slightest.
I tossed it.
-Alyssa
