I adore Tori Amos. Her unique enunciation and voice, her wrenching piano, her beautiful wild lyrics.
It was through her song Tear In Your Hand (one of my top 5) that I discovered the wonderful Neil Gaiman.
(If you need me, me and Neil’ll be hanging out with the Dream King.)
Her songs are like the people I’m most drawn to. Not easy to know quickly. Not like songs on the radio, revealing everything they have to offer on the first listen. But rather, impenetrable at first, but after a few listens… what melodies!
One of my favourite of her songs is Bliss.
As usual, the lyrics are complex and crazy and, at least for a hyper-verbal person like me, going well beyond words.
But the line I love most is:
Maybe we’re a Bliss of another kind.
I think this is a perfect line for introverts.
In western culture happiness is often portrayed as social, filled with people, noisy and boisterous and hedonistic. It’s easy to think what we introverts enjoy – quiet, reflection, fewer friendships, deeper conversations, solitude, simple pleasures, geeky hobbies – means we aren’t happy.
Since understanding that I’m an introvert, I’ve found great strength in embracing my inner weirdness, learning how to take pleasure in doing things alone, enjoying what makes me happy regardless of whether others understand.
I think being an introvert is very much a Bliss of another kind. Not the kind you see in movies or the kind people talk about. But the kind that is exactly right for us.