I was sitting in the dentist office, that in itself is not a happy time. They were taking pictures, X-rays, to be exact. When the dentist came in, she asked an odd question. She asked, "Do you remember a time when you hurt your teeth? Your front teeth are dead, well the roots are, at least. You would have been eight or maybe nine." "No," I replied with a laugh. It was the truth. At the time, I could think of no such time when I had suffered trauma to my teeth. However, the question made me start thinking. Memories that I had hidden in the dark recesses of my mind swept over me like a flood. These were not happy memories of playing with friends, riding my bike, or walking in the woods. No, these were memories of not fitting in, of being teased, of being pushed off swings, and being blamed for things that I didn't do. As I thought about it, I said, "People made me an introvert." As these memories flooded into my consci...