The Intrepid Introvert

Mar 3

Mar 3 Week 42: I Discoed at Sunrise [Score +12]

Through the magic of a well-targeted Facebook advertisement, I learned that Newfields was hosting weekly Wednesday-morning sunrise dance parties through the month of January. Their name was excellent: a Seasonal Affective Disco. The name alone made me want to check it out. I finally got around to it on the last possible day: January 31.

Feb 1

Feb 1 Week 41: Vibrational Sound Therapy [Score +4]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

Have you ever discussed a shared memory with a friend and realized that the two of you had very different recollections of the same moment in time? My latest intrepid activity—a Vibrational Sound Therapy concert—and the comparison of personal experiences immediately afterward—reminded me of exactly that phenomena.

Jan 15
Jan 15 Week 40: I Upped My Church Game [Score +3]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

Traditional rules for polite society dictate that we don’t discuss religion, but we have to know when to break the rules, yes? Consider this your fair warning if you’re a sensitive soul who prefers to avoid potentially divisive topics. In the interest of authenticity, open vulnerability, and honesty, I’m going there today.

Jan 8

Jan 8 Week 39: I Came to Dance [Score +15]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

The company holiday party: after three or four years of avoidance, I decided to be intrepid and go to mine this year. Big parties at which I have to yell to have a conversation with the person standing next to me aren’t generally my thing. Add to this my usual lack of a willing +1, and you can understand why my enthusiasm for attending in the last few years hasn’t been terribly high.

Dec 31

Dec 31 Weeks 37-38: Must-Mix-and-Mingle Fundraisers [Score +9 each]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

My first memory of volunteering just for the purpose of doing something for the community—not because I would enjoy it or benefit personally—was bussing tables for a church breakfast over Labor Day weekend when I was in middle school. I'm scarred for life from the experience. The good news: I’ve found loads of opportunities to volunteer and give back in ways that I find much more enjoyable, and the holiday season offers many such opportunities.

Dec 23

Dec 23 Week 36: A New Spa Experience: Floatation Therapy [Score +16]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

Imagine a feeling of complete weightlessness, of floating in a completely dark space, and the loudest sound you hear is that of your own breath. Now make it blissful: this space of peace and quiet and relaxation is all yours, uninterrupted by beeps, dings, messages, conversation, or cries for a full hour. I’ve been there. It exists. It’s called floatation therapy, and I tried it.

Dec 10

Dec 10 Week 35: An Outlander Fan Gathering [Score +10]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

I met 30 of the most ardent, dare I say obsessive, Outlander fans on a recent Saturday when a friend invited me to join a lunch gathering of the local chapter of the fan club known as “Heughan's Hoosier Heughligans”. I thought I was a big fan until I found myself thoroughly outdone by the folks in this group.

Nov 26

Nov 26 Week 34: A Hike Near Home, Courtesy of Meetup [Score +14]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

What activity do you so love that you unconsciously quiet your mind and find yourself completely present and in the moment? For me, hiking fits that bill. So, why do I usually save this bliss for vacations? The answer to that question is simple: for no good reason at all. But I finally made a step in the right direction with a hike through Eagle Creek Park.

Nov 14

Nov 14 Week 33: Calling in Tech Reinforcement [Score +63]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

I’ve been dragging my feet on both writing this post and doing the actual activity: I created a profile on the dating app du jour, Bumble.

Nov 5

Nov 5 Week 32: Turtles All the Way Down [Score +2]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

I consider a favorite author to be one whose books consistently draw me in and lead me to seek out more and more of their work. And if I find that author interesting or inspiring as a public figure, they move even closer toward the top of the list. John Green is one who fits this bill.

Oct 27

Oct 27 Week 31: Author Inspiration at the Central Library [Score +12]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

Libraries are some of my favorite places to be: stacks and stacks and room upon room of books, all sitting quietly, waiting for me to choose one or six to take home with me for three weeks. My usual haunt is my local library, but the Indiana Writers Center’s “Meet an Author, Be an Author” event gave me the perfect excuse to make a long-overdue visit to the Indianapolis Central Library.

Oct 21

Oct 21 Week 30: Downward Dogs, Feline-Style [Score +9]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

Growing up in an area I affectionately call “the country,” surrounded by acres of cornfields, with zero neighbors our age to play with, my brother, Chase, and I instead got to have a multitude of interesting pets to keep us entertained at different times over the years. But what did the roster never include? Cats.

Oct 15

Oct 15 Week 29: I Made That Star-Spangled Banner Wave [Score +10]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

When I stepped on the field with 349 of my coworkers at the start of this year’s Indianapolis Colts’ home-opener, it took me back to the first time I stepped onto a major football field nearly 20 years earlier.

Oct 9

Oct 9 Week 29: Grown-Up Field Day [Score +14]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

In grade school, Field Day was an event I enjoyed because it felt like an outdoor celebration of the end of the school year. I was competitive enough to try hard and want to win, but I never excelled at any particular athletic skill. So, why would I want to volunteer for a grown-up field day? Redemption.

Sep 28

Sep 28 Week 28: An Occasion For a New Scoring Category [Score +12]

Introvert Amanda

Activities

I should do it... But it’s on a Sunday night... It’s a free ticket... With an opening act, they won’t even start playing until at least 9:00 p.m.... For heaven’s sake, it’s U2! ... Yeah, but I don’t really like big concerts... AMANDA. Be intrepid!

This, my friend, is an accurate representation of my inner dialogue. You see why I need this project?

Hi.