I know that I’m not a particularly sociable person.
Sometimes this gets me into trouble when other humans think that I am cold and cut off from humanity.
The truth is, I don’t have a problem with anybody on this planet. However, I enjoy spending time by myself more than I like to be in a crowded room. I know that other humans don’t necessarily understand this impulse to isolate and introspect, but it is a comfortable existence for me. That’s why I was immediately stressed out when my boss said that we were having a holiday work party. I really did not want to have to go to a hot and cold environment where the social situation was based on office work every day. I forced myself to attend the work party, but I was immediately disappointed to find that the environment was more uncomfortable than I ever could have anticipated. This time, it was the indoor air temperature more than the social situation that stressed me out. It felt like the venue had absolutely no heating system in order. Every time I felt air blowing through the room from the multitude of overhead air vents, it was like a nice cold breeze ripping through the fancy party. I honestly thought they might have the air conditioning system on because the indoor air was so cool, dry, and blustery. I kept trying to warm myself up despite the lack of heating, but I was shivering in my seat the entire time. After an hour of enduring the uncomfortable social atmosphere and the brutally cold indoor air I eventually snuck out the back door before any of my co-workers noticed.