How Introverts Thrive While Flowing Quietly Within Intense Moments

When we introverts do travel out beyond our quiet worlds... sometimes magic happens. In our quiet, we absolutely love life. At least I do, I don't talk much with other people, so I do not know for sure.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

You are flowing quietly along your life path...
then BAM, like a smack up side the head...
you realize a change in direction must be taken in order for you to thrive.

2015-08-08-1439054424-7981963-awaytothriveforHuffPost.jpg
Selfie while alone at sea during a storm, by Greg Frucci, 2011

We are the quiet ones... labeled by society as introverts. That's cool because, as one who loves to be in the company of others who are the same, I can smile while I feel the peace of the others who exist quietly in the same way.

Sometimes when two quiet ones find each other in life, a powerful electric moment can burst between them where they see each other's light.

A few weeks ago, I traveled alone three thousand miles to walk on a beach with someone special. She is an introvert like me existing within our quiet lives and working to fulfill our passions.

  • We do not travel in packs... we like to travel alone or with another independent soul similar to us and flow within the changing moment.

As we walked far down a lonely stretch of beach in Fort Fisher, North Carolina, I paused for a moment and jumped into the warm ocean. As I looked back at Patricia, I saw over her head a massive storm front approaching quickly. The clouds looked like a breaking blackish green wave about to descend upon us.

  • An introvert is an independent soul who will sporadically do something and not require another to follow unless they wish to do so... no force projected onto another.

A lifeguard was running along the beach up to us yelling, "Tornado warning! Follow me up to the Park Headquarter's Office for shelter!"

Patricia and I ran with a cool wind from the storm front hitting us in our faces as the rain began to fall. Lightning all around as we made it to the cover of the building.

  • We will listen to reason when we think what another is saying is in fact, reasonable.

The loud ones were frantically talking about how long and how dangerous the storm might be. My car was almost a mile away with a light rain becoming a gully washer. With fear in the eyes of others and with a smile on my face, I took off running in the rain up the beach to get the car. Patricia knew in her heart I would be safe, for she knows my experience with thunderstorms at sea alone.

  • Exroverts, the loud ones, sometimes think introverts are crazy. Actually, by being quiet and not letting in all of the noise of others, we introverts can think deeply with split second timing because our thoughts are focused within our quiet.

Upon my return, the Park Service dudes remarked, "That was a good run time, we make that run every day."

I responded softly with a smile, "I was motivated." Everyone including Patricia laughed.

  • Our humor can be a bit intense sometimes while using only a few words. I could have described in detail how my heart was pumping as wind, rain and lightning was all around as my feet struggled in the deep sand...blah, blah, blah, but I kept it short.

While in the car driving up Kure Beach, NC, a lightning bolt flashed beyond our car. Within that moment, Patricia and I looked into each other's eyes. Between us and directly in line with our eyes as we looked at each other, a floating filament of lightning floated between us. The moment which seemed to last a lifetime only lasted a nanosecond.

"Did you see that Greg? I felt it in my teeth," spoke a wide-eyed Patricia.

If she had not spoken the reality of what just occurred, I would not have believed what I saw. Yet, she I and I both saw the same reality in the same moment.

"Not only did I see the bolt of lightning between our eyes, Patricia...I felt it in my spine."

  • Introverts keep intense moments such as this to ourselves. I've told the story to others a few times but only to family and close friends.

"But, Greg, you are telling the story to the world now," some might say.

  • True. Another quality of introverts is that a lot of us are artists and one of my favorite forms of art is writing, which is an activity performed alone in my quiet home.

Traveling beyond the fear of what we do not understand, there exists a state of acceptance. Once the ones who are quiet flow with acceptance of how we are, our passions for discovering our purposes begins to soar. Even when we are judged by the loud ones who do not understand us, we can fly past them with the understanding that those loud ones are merely fearful of our quiet way.

When we introverts do travel out beyond our quiet worlds... sometimes magic happens. In our quiet, we absolutely love life. At least I do, I don't talk much with other people, so I do not know for sure.

2015-08-08-1439057694-2766121-yourtrueessenseforHuffPost.jpg
Words by Deepak Chopra

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE