The Importance of Being…Hermit

It’s quite possible that visitors to my blog could pick up a reoccurring theme that I subtly slip into conversation here and there (like someone banging cymbals in a one man marching band) that I am a bit of a hermit. Ok, scratch that. I’m a total hermit. Me and the outside world have not always been on speaking terms. I kind of can’t help but wonder, is that really a bad thing?

I know that might sound weird, or buck the trend that people need to be friendly, outgoing, well-integrated members of society to be well adjusted. Ha Ha, maybe I’m just not very well adjusted? Or maybe I’m just not that into that. It isn’t so much that I have misanthropic tendencies, I actually do enjoy people, but a little bit more in theory and maybe not so much around me. From a distance. On TV. In books. They are quite interesting. Maybe I might even do a bit of interacting online. In person, not so much, as after the initial excitement of seeing someone else wears off, I just get tired. Really tired. And I’m ready to retreat.

People often seem to throw shade at hermits like we are some freaky deeky people who can’t be trusted. And you know, probably some of that might be true…or is that just what we want you to think? Stay away from old man Wilsons house, he’s craaaazy is just a clever scheme that hermits like old man Wilson have come up with to keep you away, since, that is sort of the point. Like an animal, we are likely more afraid of you than you are of us, but it’s all about keeping up appearances. One must be nonchalant about being alone. Gruff when encountering an immediate threat to our solace, but may be actually friendly in that endearingly curmudgeonly way we might have. It is endearing isn’t it?

Alright, so I might not be totally curmudgeonly. I can actually be pretty friendly when I crawl out from under my rock. It’s a bit like a security blanket for me. And yet, it’s hard to keep the social thing going. I want to write, and blog much more often than this, but that white space sometimes seems so intimidating, and the words that come out are so….not good. I know not everything all the writers we like write is amazing material, there are editors and drafts and all that fun stuff that give us that polished end product we so enjoy. Yet, there seems to be a bit of a perception that the ones we like might just be awesome all the time. I’m not. See? I occasionally come up with this kind of stuff. So, maybe it’s better that I stay under my rock instead of blathering on with a weird stream of thought almost-humour that’s just….weird. At least I get points for honesty. (Or do I?) And it’s important to get out there once in a while, even if it’s just to pop out like a jack n the box that people weren’t expecting to open.

So, in closing, here’s to all of you out there (…both of you? or is it just me and that other guy?), who continue in the hermitty way. Viva la inside!!

Have any hermitty tips for me? Are you one of us? Would love to hear a bit more about it below. 🙂