When despair grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell Berry, The Peace of Wild Things
My junior year of college, I studied abroad with one of my best friends. It was one of the best experiences of my life, but also very difficult. Not because of Kayla or homesickness or missing my then-boyfriend—but because I didn't truly understand one of the core aspects of my identity: my introversion.
Read MoreThis week, I've decided to take a personality test so that you all can learn a little more about me and maybe even about yourselves! (If you would rather learn more about my dogs than me, check out last week's blog post where I took a personality test for them.)
I've taken Myers-Briggs (INFJ) and Enneagram (Type 1, with Type 5 close behind), but the IPIP-NEO is completely new to me. Let's see how it goes!
Read MoreI'm a relatively weird person who is best friends with her dogs and also loves researching personality types, so it was only a matter of time until I found this personality test made specifically for dogs. It's called the Canine Behavior Type Index and, akin to Myers-Briggs, it gives your dog a cool name like Adventurer, Dreamer, Companion, Deputy, etc. based on their personality type. Let's do this.
Read MoreDo you remember that question you were always asked as a child or during those corny orientations for work or school?
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
At first glance, this questions seems to reflect more on what superhero was your childhood favorite or the Marvel-movie craze of the late 21st century than anything constructive about you as a person. However, if you look under the cape and neoprene tights, your answer to this question can reveal important insights about your identity. Kayla (KM) and Kari (KE) Lutes, fellow students, writers, and self-taught personality experts, have graciously joined me this week to explore this super-charged question.
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