That’s not all there is to it.
There are reasons why I’m quiet, as I’m sure there are for anyone else who is quiet.

There was a day in high school during lunch when one of my friends commented on how quiet of a person I am. I may not have said much of anything during lunch that day up until that point, and it could have been for any number of reasons.

I don’t know what we’re talking about.

I might know what we’re talking about, but I may know absolutely nothing on the subject. If you were to start talking about the Cowboys, I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything other than the fact that they have stars on their helmets/uniforms and that I’ve been to AT&T stadium for high school football games and have marched on top of the giant star that’s in the middle of the field. On the other hand, if you were to start talking about Doctor Who, I would be able to say more on the subject.

It’s certainly hard to participate if you know nothing on the subject of the conversation. It’s one of the many reasons why I just nod my head to show that I’m listening to whatever someone is saying.

I can’t get a word in at all.

Sometimes the subject gets changed before I can say anything.

So many times I have wanted to add a comment to a conversation but everyone is so talkative that it’s absolutely impossible. It’s as if everyone wants to fill up the space with conversation, but only they are allowed to talk while the quiet ones, such as myself, are run over as soon as we open our mouths.

People have talked over me more times than I can count.

It doesn’t even have to be in a group setting. I could be in the car with only one other person and still be talked above. Multiple times in my life I have been in the middle of a sentence when someone has decided that what they needed to say was more important than what I was saying. Of course I would stop talking and listen to them because I am a nice person like that, but there was one day I wasn’t so nice about it.

There was one instance in high school that I can remember when one of my best friends and I were walking down the hallway during a passing period and I was saying something to her. Before I was even halfway done with my sentence she started talking over me. I kept talking. I figured that if she wanted to know what I was saying, then she shouldn’t have interrupted. Of course, after we both finished speaking at the same time she asked me what I had been saying, but I refused to tell her. I was fed up with people talking over me and just wanted it to stop.

I don’t think who I’m talking to cares about what I’m saying.

It’s happened before. I could start talking about something that had happened during the day and the other person obviously isn’t listening. Little by little I would start to trail off and they wouldn’t even notice. It would hurt for a minute or two to think that they didn’t care about what I had to say, but I would also think that I should have made sure they were actually paying attention before I started talking.

I’ve been completely ignored before.

In high school one of my best friends would practically beg me to come hang out with her and some of our other friends in the morning before class. I knew I would feel guilty if I didn’t, but I also knew that no one would talk to me if I did. Was I there with them physically? Sure. Did I seem to matter? Well, it didn’t seem like it some of the time, but I figured my friends appreciated me being there to listen to them, even if they were never talking directly towards me.

There was one morning before class where one of my friends said something along the lines of, “You look lonely.” No one else heard her say it to me, but I suppose it could have been because she said it directly to me. I can clearly remember saying to her, “It’s okay. I’m used to it.” After I said it, I almost wanted to take it back. It made me feel guilty for saying it, but I wanted her to feel bad for me because I felt that I was ignored when I was there with them. In my mind, I was just a statue in the background.

I’m just a quiet person. For the most part.

If you get me around the right people, I can be very talkative, assuming there’s space for me to contribute to the conversation. But I’m an introvert; one who definitely likes her alone time for that matter.

As I grew up, I rarely went anywhere without a book.
Going out to dinner? Bringing a book with me.
Ten minute car ride to church? You bet I’m bringing a book with me to read in the car.
Three hour long car trip to visit grandparents? I’ve got at least two books in case I finish one.

I grew up as a quiet person. If I could avoid it, I never asked or answered questions in class. There was no reason for me to yell at people or talk over them. I was perfectly content with my books and reading whatever entertained me.

There’s nothing wrong with being quiet, not at all. I love my quiet life, and although I do wish it were more exciting at times, it’s perfect for me.

Let us lead our quiet lives in our own way.

We love our quiet lives, and we love our talkative friends, but don’t try to control us.
To anyone who isn’t a quiet person such as myself, here are some tips:

Give us a chance to talk. Silence is fine for a few seconds in a conversation.

Don’t talk over your quiet friend before they can finish voicing their thought;
you might miss something important.

Please listen to us. We may not talk much in general and it can hurt us if we don’t think people care about what we’re interested in or what we think.

Lastly, there’s no reason why we should be ignored. If we’re really your friend, then it shouldn’t be hard to try to include us in the conversation. True, we may not know anything about the subject and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be anything we know about, but it’d be nice to know you care enough to try and include us.