Embarrassing!

June 11, 2021June 10, 2021 / roughwighting / 52 Comments

When was the last time you were embarrassed?

Embarrassment is defined as mild to severe levels of discomfort, usually experienced when someone commits a socially unacceptable or frowned-upon act.

The older I get, the less embarrassed I am. Hey, take me as I am, or don’t take me at all. But one of the stories in my just-published “flash memoir,” Flashes of Life: True Tales of the Extraordinary in the Ordinary, includes a tale entitled “How to Embarrass Your Kids.” Readers have told me they relate to my (tee hee) gleeful moments of embarrassing my progeny. Not in a mean way, but ….
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What Are the Chances?

June 4, 2021June 3, 2021 / roughwighting / 109 Comments

I scrutinized the man under veiled eyes. My long dark eyelashes were one of my vanities, and in times like these they came in useful. (The Exit Door)

Since when did I follow a complete stranger ( I wondered – what’s an incomplete stranger?) out of a social setting where I knew at least half the participants, toward a “wonderful café” he suggested?

“George,” the blue-jeaned “complete” stranger said as if reading my mind. And no, I don’t do this often.” Continue reading →

Exit Door

May 28, 2021May 27, 2021 / roughwighting / 108 Comments

Once again, I wonder why I’m here, where the exit door is, and how quickly I can excuse myself. I know that Karen means well, but Karen is not the good friend she thinks she is. If she really knew me – Mandy Shepherd, the introvert – really cared about me, she’d keep me away from this kind of “meetngreet” fiasco. Continue reading →

I’m Late to My Party

May 21, 2021May 20, 2021 / roughwighting / 211 Comments

Are you an introvert or an extrovert or in between? In the “old days,” being an introvert meant you were shy and socially awkward. Most people who know me would say “Pam? No way.”

A psychology professor at Pepperdine University, Cindy Miller-Perrin, explains that “Shyness reflects an anxiety or discomfort associated with social situations, but introversion is really just a preference.”

Exactly. I prefer to be by myself for large stretches of time. I’m a writer, after all. But I also love meeting friends for lunch or a long walk.
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