Yes… it is possible to be happy and have a lot of anxiety.  That’s how I spent much of the last 3 days.  We were in Ashland, OR seeing a whole bunch of plays!  And we had a great time.  But I had a lot of anxiety almost the whole time.

It was tiring.  Though it should have helped me build energy, I feel depleted.  I am an introvert, so when I interact with people – even when it is fun – it drains off energy.  I have never been able to go to a party, and get energized.

I know all this… but I did not always.  When I was young, I was surprised at how I felt after a party or such.  To the point where I basically stopped going to them.  In college I had gradually become more social, only to completely crash out of it.  A lot of people wondered what was going on… some people thought I considered myself to be better than everyone else.

Actually, I thought everyone was better than me!  I could not figure out what was wrong with me.  And that may be the main reason I have not made any new friends to socialize with since about 1977 (not counting Lori).  I taught in Seaside, OR for 15 years without making any new friends.  This was mostly because I was virtually always too burned out to socialize.  Just teaching took it all out of me.

So I am tired, and feeling very drained after our fun trip to Ashland.  It was great… but I need some major recovery time.