What do you see around the corner?

I'm convinced that December must be one of the most exhausting months for introverts.  It seems that the opportunities for small, medium and large group holiday socializing abound.  In my experience, the majority of these opportunities too seem to be command performances, meaning you won't really be noticed if you're there, but it will most definitely be noted if you're absent (how does that even calculate?).

It's December 13 and I'm already three parties into the month: one small and two large.  Tomorrow night I''ll be heading out to a medium-sized one and then I'm hosting a small one on Saturday.

As I write I can barely keep my eyes open ... and it's not for lack of sleep, I simply haven't had adequate time to recharge after the two weekend fetes.  Introverts, as I've mentioned in previous posts, need significant time to recharge after an outpouring of social energy.  Even being in the presence of a lot of high extroverted energy can be exhausting for introverts.  Recharging time can vary from person to person, but I find that on the average, for me and other introverts that I know, personal quiet/down time = 2 x the amount of time spent at the event (including fretting about going to the event if that was the case).  For example, last night I attended a party that I fretted for at least three hours beforehand regarding whether or not I really had the energy/time to go etc.  I stayed at the party for five hours, therefore: 3+5=8 hours x 2 = 16 hours.  Thus, I'll require 16 hours of R&R to fully recover from the effects of socializing last night.

And by the way, I had a fantastic time at this party.  The energy quotient isn't impacted positively by good or bad times. 

The dilemma: where and when to get that 16 hours before the next party?

And so it goes for the month of December.

I wish I had some wise words, but I'm still figuring this stuff out as I go merrily along ...

I think the key ingredient might be the knowledge that a 10-day vacation to Any Place Hot By the Ocean is right around the corner on January 2. 

Yes.  I do believe that would help immensely. 

I call Molokai.

photo taken from the Molokai Visitors Bureau available at: http://www.molokai-hawaii.com/