Don't mistake silence as weakness

I am on a whole quite a quiet individual, unless you happen to find me at a concert, festival or I've drank so much vodka you could class me as a potato!

Some people take it as disinterest, others think its because I'm not interesting enough to be able to hold a conversation.

The truth is, I'm really interested in people and that's why I sit quietly, I let them talk, bear their soul, I watch their expressions and I  watch how they move their body.

And I am pretty interesting I've had a brief but colourful life and can easily hold a conversation. I just don't always feel the need to. I'm more than comfortable with silence, in fact it can be addictive, because in the silence is where you learn so much about yourself and about what you can observe in the outside world. I just don't feel the need to talk all the time, I don't need to fill the silences. Particularly with small talk - I can't stand small talk, I'd rather get to know someone for who they are. Their loves, their hates, their passions and pain. As this tells me much more than what the weather is like.

When I was a young girl, my dad was the most laid back man and really up until the time of his death he was. He was so laid back he was horizontal. I think I could count on one hand the amount of times my dad raised his voice. In fact, if we'd really upset him he'd go really quite, and would whisper words like "you've gone far enough" or we'd get "the look". That was all it took. He was quiet, but he was firm.

What I have learned is some of the noisest people are often quite uncomfortable with silence because they're uncomfortable with themselves.

Some people aren't necessarily noisy but they have a lot to say, sadly more often than not about others. They think life is unfair, they don't like this person, they dislike what others do with their life. Usually this is because they feel a bit inadequate or jealous.

Once over this made me very uncomfortable as these people can be very confrontational and I knew that if they were saying things about other people in front of me, they were going to be talking about me too. Now I just send these people love, because despite their outward behaviour they need it most.

Then you have the people who are just genuinely bubbly and love life. And the people who are quiet because they don't have a lot to say, they're not very sociable and maybe aren't leading the life they want.

Never assume.