Lessons Learned on a Tuesday

1. Well begun really is half done.

• this is especially true for American lit papers
• and a plate of buffalo wings.

2. No matter how much air freshener is used, the smell of Raid cannot be hidden.

3. A baby in glasses is one of the cutest things in this world.

And now for something totally unrelated: a required course here at Multnomah is a psych class called Career Development. In it, students have to take a test called IDAK - an exhaustive, comprehensive evaluation of talents, skills, experiences, and preferences. Most adults fork over some $500 to take the IDAK, but we have some special deal. Maybe it's factored into that tuition that we students fork over. Anyway, mine was due a couple days ago, and the results will be back on Tuesday. I had to come to grips with a few things about myself - namely, that my relational style would be categorized as "Multi-Relational."

I didn't want to be Multi-Relational. Only 15% of people are (is?) multi-relational. The majority - 70% - are Familiar Group Relational, and the remaining 15% are Singular-relational. To give you an idea of what these labels look like, MRs function best when at least 60% of their day is spent around other people. They come alive in big groups and are great with strangers. Singulars are the opposite: meeting new people is exhausting, solitude is preferable as the optimal work condition, and interruptions are difficult. Both MRs and SRs are just fine in the opposite atmosphere, though not at their best. The big chunk of people in the FGR category prefer to be around people they know well, are just fine in big groups or in solitude, but function best when with those several close friends.

Solitude is valuable to me, and I almost felt like calling myself MR was betraying that value. However, I can't deny that I love to be around people, welcome interruptions, enjoy introductions, and thrive in groups. Finally as I embraced my relational style in all its multi-glory, it became clear to me that my appreciation for solitude or "down time" is completely validated! Because I flourish when with others, I tend to neglect my need to chill. Thus opportunities to chill are all the more appreciable to me. Hooray for validation of core values!

What am I doing with this newfound self-discovery? Driving to the beach tomorrow to spend a few hours alone with the Lord, evaluating my life and heart and hopefully gaining perspective and guidance.

Then, of course, I'll be driving back into town for a date with my boyfriend. I am, after all, very relational. (And that's okay.)