I often wonder what my life would be like if I wasn't a very shy girl. I wonder what would happen if I didn't retreat into my shell, in the company of other people, but actually told them some of the thoughts that were in my head. I wonder what it would like to be able to tell stories in public without blushing, or getting my words back to front, or without having drunk vast quantities of alcohol. I suspect it would be quite nice. The older I get the more I come to terms with being shy. I wouldn't say it was one of my worst features but as Mark said:

it can make life very difficult for those afflicted, as well as for those around them.

I wouldn't like people to like me just because I'm shy, but I am happy when they have taken the time and the trouble to see through this mask and know what lies underneath. It takes time to get to know people. Most people I know are naturally defensive. They all show it in different ways. Some people might talk loudly and constantly when other pressure, others may become rude and obnoxious, and others like myself might try to hide away from the problem and retreat further within themselves. None these things really define the person. Different people just act differently under stressful situations. It is easy to understand people who behave in a similar manner to yourself, but limiting the people you get to know, just because of the way they act when they are nervous, seems a shame. Tolerance is what is needed. Try not to judge people too harshly simply because they don't get things right the first time you meet them. We are all human and we all make mistakes Take Care, Rachel _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+