Quiet, yet engaged

I happened to catch Peter Thompson interviewing Phillip Adams on Talking Heads on the ABC last night. The transcript isn’t up yet, but they talked about all the things Phillip’s done over the years – he’s been a busy man, working in marketing and the Australian film industry, writing newspaper columns and doing Late Night Live on Radio National. He talked about how each person only has a finite number of days alloted to them and “cramming” as much in as possible in the time you have. And yet he’s a solitary person who enjoys quiet time – said it’s quite possible to be “quiet and still engaged”- which is something I’m finding, to my great relief. (No, you don’t have to be an extrovert to be good in social situations.) Phillip said he hasn’t attended a party in 30 years – it’s not been that long for me (3 years?) but I can’t think of a single party I have attended that I have enjoyed. (They’re too noisy, too frantic, and too much about appearances.)

Over the years I’ve been learning the art of making small talk (although, like Blisspix, I struggle a bit when chatting with bigwigs) and what to do in social situations – and am slowly getting better at it. I’m finding that from being the shrinking violet who always had nothing to say to people and who always left parties and gatherings first, I now enjoy meeting new people. Being in the thick of things no longer feels like a trip to the dentist.

I still enjoy and need my solitude, of course. And the Net is great for engaging – from the comfort of your own study.

Trivia: apparently two of Phillip Adams’ main vices are tea (he quipped that he has been known to shove the spout of a teapot directly into a vein) and books. Oh, and he enjoys collecting and surrounding himself with antiquities.