From the moment we are born, life is full of changes and challenges. The first challenge is to be born, to learn to breathe. Every new day is different. No one gives us a manual. Some people are better at dealing with change, defending themselves against life's aggressions and dangers. Introverts and shy people are paralyzed by fear. We don't know exactly what we're afraid of. Perhaps it's the fear of looking ridiculous, of not doing things well, the fear of being rejected.

When I think back to my earliest memories, I see myself as very quiet, observing what was going on around me very carefully. I didn't talk, not because I was stupid—I was always very studious and curious—but perhaps because I received a very strict upbringing at home and was often not allowed to speak. I got used to not talking. My older sisters, who were rebellious and talkative, were punished. I preferred to keep quiet. This made it difficult for me to communicate with other people during my school and high school years.

When I started participating in public events as a writer, I had to learn to overcome my shyness and fear of looking foolish. From a very young age, I was invited to read my poems in public places. But since I was accompanied by other writers, this helped me not to feel so nervous. Well, actually, even today, after so many years, speaking or reading my poems in public still makes me uneasy, because I am an introvert.

I remember that when I started teaching more than thirty years ago, I was also forced to overcome my shyness. I taught literature courses to small groups in libraries and cultural centers. But a few years later, when I taught at the Central University of Venezuela and Simón Bolívar University, I had 40 teenage students in each classroom. It was a much greater challenge, which required a greater professional effort on my part. When you teach at a university, you cannot show your students that you feel insecure.

For many years, I have had to learn to overcome my shyness when talking to other people and my shyness when speaking in public. I must say that in some situations I have enjoyed doing so. To conclude this post, I will share a photo from a few years ago, when I worked as a cultural guide in a park in Caracas. It is one of the jobs I have enjoyed the most.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed a happy weekend. Greetings from Andalusia, Spain.

Since my native language is not English, I have had to rely on the Deepl.com platform to translate this article into English.