Some Days It's Tough Being An Introvert

Today I went to the grocery store as I do every week. This week was a bit more trying since I have an "out-of-order" left hand (from surgery on one of the fingers) and bad tendinitis in my right elbow. Trying to push a cart with one semi-bad arm was a challenge, especially trying to dodge kids and fellow shoppers paying attention to everything except where they are going. Then I accidentally banged the surgery finger which really made me want to cry. 
Normally I can grin and bear the grocery store level of human interaction. But today it seemed EVERY human being was jumping up and down on my last nerve. Things I can normally ignore seemed to have a neon "look at me" sign. I was tired and not in the mood to shop. But shop I did.
I finally got everything I needed, checked out, and hobbled the shopping cart to my truck. Then what happens? This over-eager cart collecting employee suddenly appears as I'm putting groceries in my vehicle, chatting away about what an awful shame it is that we aren't even at Thanksgiving yet but look at all the Christmas stuff. Bla, bla, bla....he went on and on. Normally I would have been delighted to have a conversation about the ridiculous early-ness of Christmas (since I do believe it gets crazier every year), but today I was tired and hurting. For a brief moment I even wondered if this guy was some psychopath trying to kidnap me. But I soon realized he was just a bored store employee talking to anyone who would listen. I did my best to chat with him...forceably...against my Introverted Will. Once all my groceries were in the truck, he took the cart and bid me a "pleasant day". Whew, glad THAT'S over. 
I literally sat in my truck for a few minutes after this sudden and random interaction so I could recover enough to drive home. I realized how the deck of life is sometimes stacked against introverted people. When an introvert interacts with other people, they lose energy. The more people they are interacting with, the more tiresome it can be. Even if they are talking to people known to them or people of a similar mindset, it is still using up the introvert's energy. The only way to get that energy back is to be alone long enough to recharge. 
Extroverts, by contrast, get energy from interacting with people. At the end of the cocktail party, they are ready for round 2, 3, 4, etc. The introvert is ready to hide in a closet for three days. 
So extroverts, the next time you're chatting away with someone who is responding in small sentences or not responding much at all, don't be offended. You might be talking to an introvert who is having a really introverted day.