Market in rain

This weekend we decided to do our shopping at the local market rather than the grocery store. It was a bit wet, but that didn't stop us or the usual market-goers. There is all sorts at the market, not just food, but a lot of it is stuff I wouldn't bother with like cheap clothing, shoes, and accessories.

From our list we were able to buy everything except milk, butter, and dog food. But we did manage to get some lovely potatoes, beef shin, and pork belly, and I got some bargain books. Oh, and I got my hair trimmed, though that wasn't exactly in the market. It looks a lot neater now; she took about three inches off and it's still mid-back length.

While waiting for my turn, I had a long chat with a young mother of a five month old baby. I don't really know anybody locally who is pregnant or has a new baby, so I asked her all sorts of questions. Which leads me into the strange world of not-so-shyness.

When I was a child, I was really outgoing, but when we moved to a new area at age nine, I suddenly became very shy. From then on, I have always considered myself a very introverted person, not at all comfortable meeting new people, or speaking to strangers. But over the past few years, this has gradually changed. I don't mind speaking to strangers, if I want to. I don't really go out of my way to chat to people just for the sake of chatting, but if I want to know about something or someone, I feel perfectly comfortable asking.

I think it's part of considering myself an adult and an equal of people around me. I'm older than a lot more people than I used to be, and talking to a younger person is just like talking to a child, really! There are some younger people I work with who are pretty shy and I can remember being tongue-tied if an older person tried to make conversation with me. Well, I'm the older person now.