People think it's hilarious to comment on how quiet I am. "I think she's said five words in the past hour!" "Wow. You don't say much, do you?" "You're so quiet I forgot you were there!" "Seriously, calm down over there. You are just talking way too much." Then everyone in the group proceeds to laugh and agree. Whether you realize it or not, saying these things makes me feel awful about myself. And that isn't funny at all.

For a long time I hated that I was so quiet. I wanted so desperately to change that part of me. I was painfully aware of every minute that I didn't say anything. I would just stand there thinking to myself, "C'mon just think of something to say. They're going to think you're weird." Of course, the more I thought about how quiet I was being and that I needed to say something, the less I actually talked. People would make more comments, making me hate that part of me more and wanting to change it.

It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I started accepting that I am a quiet person. In this fast-paced world we live in, there is something beautiful about the quiet. People have always used "quiet" as a bad adjective about someone but it isn't. When you need someone to listen to you, I will sit with you for hours and do just that. If you're feeling alone, I have no problem staying up with you even if we don't say two words the entire night. Being quiet has made me notice things that other people have missed or see another side to a story.

Two of the most common misconceptions about quiet people is that we're dumb and we don't have personalities. Both are completely false. When we do say something, it's because we truly believe that it will add to the conversation. We don't talk just to hear our own voices. We think before we speak, which is a skill a lot of people don't have. The reason I'm not talking is not because I don't understand what you're saying; it's because I'm listening and don't have anything to say that will really add to what you're talking about. Quiet people often have quiet personalities that are easily lost in large groups. If you talk to us one-on-one or in smaller groups, we can be some of the funniest and sassiest people you have ever met.

I'm still in the process of learning to love that I am a quiet person. It still hurts when people make comments on how quiet I am, but now I don't let it ruin my self-esteem. I don't want to change that part of me anymore, even if sometimes it seems like it would be easier to be an outgoing person. So yes, I'm a quiet person. If you don't like it, please get out of my life immediately because I am not changing for anyone.