The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. ~ Voltaire

I love that quote. I can so relate. But I know Voltaire was only right for those of us who are true introverts. Happy hermits. I could spend days alone and not realize the passage of time. My daughter teases that I could be one of those people scientists move into a cave for months to study how isolation affects a person’s psyche, and I’d be happy as a clam—so long as I had a computer and an endless supply of paper and pens.

And I guess that once would have been true, but these days I’d miss seeing a few people—namely one curly-haired four-year-old, who loves the color black because it’s “dangerous.” Her word.

But I am an introvert.  I have enough self-awareness to know that—plus, I’ve been tested. 🙂

If you’re not sure whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, there’s one little question you can answer for yourself so that you know. It’s simple.

When you’ve had a really trying day, how do you unwind? Do you head to the telephone to call your “person” and share all your frustrations? Or do you head to the place you consider your refuge (your bed, that chair in a quiet place in your house)?

The extrovert will relax talking to a friend or going out for a drink in a familiar place where his or her people congregate. An introvert wants no outside stimulation, unless it’s the drone of music or the TV in the background. White noise to soothe shattered nerves.

So, which are you? Introvert or extrovert?