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Woman has transitioned from happy wife to 'old maid'

By Amy Dickinson, Tribune Content Agency on

Do you have any tips for politely exiting a conversation when you've simply run out of the energy to participate?

-- A Burgeoning Introvert

Dear Introvert: You seem to feel that being trapped with your motormouth office mate wouldn't bother and deplete you so much if only you weren't an introvert.

I think it's possible that it's not just you. Her behavior might bother anyone.

If you are trapped with someone who doesn't leave natural conversational gaps, you'll have to say, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've got to get back to this task. Maybe we can catch up after work today."

I hope your office mate adjusts. Earbuds (if they are permissible) might help you to block out some distractions, as well as giving your office mate a visual cue that you are not currently available.

Also read the groundbreaking book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking," by Susan Cain (2013, Broadway Books). The insight and recognition will help you to further understand and assert your own needs.

 

Dear Amy: "The Old Guy" was a musician nursing a long-ago rejection. I am shocked by your advice that he should start a "geezer band." The word "geezer" is offensive, and you shouldn't use it!

-- Offended Reader

Dear Offended: Well, my age puts me in geezer territory, and I happen to play music with other geezers, and so I feel comfortable using this term.

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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)


 

 

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