On World Introvert Day, Carole Olsen asks whether we are introverts or extroverts.

Carole, I’m in the middle, on a border between thriving with others and needing alone time, according to a therapist years ago, who administered a personality test. When she told me this, I thought, that sounds about right.

The best way to explain what this means is my philosophy on screened porches. Here’s our front porch. It sits on one of our community’s busiest streets, with hundreds of cars and tens of walkers passing each day. When did people start owning more than one dog?

This is our newish back porch, off a quieter street.

Good screens make good neighbors.

The extrovert part of me enjoys being with people, even online, which is itself a natural protection, perfect for someone in the middle. For example, I like the Medium community, which includes not only writers and readers but also regular commentators like Carole.

Lately, several Medium friends have returned having tried Substack. My sense is they’ve come back because they miss the Medium coterie, imperfect as it has become.

So too on a porch. I like being a part of the outdoor life of my neighborhood, offering an occasional hello, and engaging in a rare, more extended conversation. But I also need the subtle barrier, the apartness, and not just from squirrels.

Our good friends Ed and Carol across the street regularly sit on their back patio late in the summer day, as Rebecca and I do the same on our back porch. Once a month or so, we’ll take our drinks across the street to catch up on the latest. We’ll enjoy each other’s company for an hour or so and then return to our little worlds.

However, sometimes there is a threat so significant, so obtrusive, so ubiquitous that even the introverts throw caution to the wind and come out in droves.

When screens, fences, personality traits, and other differences recede into the background.

Mark your calendars, No Kings III is July 4, 2026.