"Is she always this quiet?" adults would always ask my parents. And no matter which parent I was with, the answer would be yes as my young self watched. At one point it made me wonder if something was wrong with me. Obviously I didn't give that too much thought, but it was still something I was always conscious of.
As I've grown, I learned that being quiet is not the issue. There are appropriate times to say nothing. However, in my case, this quiet became a crutch. A default when I'm afraid to share. It became a self-silencing. Avoidance. A very bad habit.
And since I'm in the practice of breaking such habits, I've been committed to speaking my truth. Even when it's uncomfortable. Like writing this very post. But all this growth & development is promising!