Today I learned that I'm an INFJ. I answered a bunch of questions about my personal preferences by filling in little circles and then sending the sheet off to be scored.
The instructor handed me a sheet that says I'm an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging type. Because only 1% of the population is INFJ, it is the rarest type. In the Myers-Briggs world, "Introverted" does not mean shy and anti-social. Introverted types can be very social. It simply means that we reflect our energy inward and work things out by reflecting on thoughts, memories and feelings. And "Judging" does not mean judgemental. It means that we prefer to conduct our lives in a planned, orderly way and that we make decisions, come to closure and move on.
The coolest thing about being an INFJ is that we have uncanny insight into people and situations. We get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in an accident.
Several months ago, I had a dream that my 14-yr-old daughter was pregnant. (There was no chance she actually could be, BTW) When she got home from school the next day, she confided in me that one of her classmates was pregnant! When I was in Mexico, my group had planned a jeep tour for the next day. I did not know any of the details. I had a dream about alligators that night. The next day on the jeep tour, we stopped at a nature preserve and saw crocodiles. I had no clue there were crocodiles in Cozumel! Coincidence? I think not!
I often feel that I'm not doing enough in the world to make a difference. That I have some other purpose, some other path. I learned why today. INFJs have a gift for intuitively understanding complex meanings and human relationships. They have faith in their insights and find that they often empathically understand the feelings and motivations of people before the others themselves are aware of them. They combine this empathic understanding with the drive and organization to implement global plans for enhancing people's lives. They can elevate and inspire others.
Holy cow, I'm supposed to be implementing "global plans" to enhance people's lives! Any suggestions? I'll have to sleep on it and see what I come up with.
I was listening to The Get Real Girls show this morning with Liv and Colleen. Colleen read this beautiful quote by Marianne Williamson:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Great find, girls! And definitely worth repeating.
I just got back from a lovely afternoon a Canterbury Park with friends. It was a perfect day. I just love horses even though they scare me. Does that make sense? I could watch them all day.
It's been a really long time since I've been to a horse race and I've never been good at picking winners. I would usually pick a horse because it was a pretty color or had a clever name. I would never look at the stats or the jockeys.
But today, I decided to pay attention to more things than beauty or flashy names. We watched the horses walk around the circle and made note of their behavior. We listened to the announcer's description of the horses and his assessment of how they would do in the race. One thing we noticed was that the more spooked, temperamental and difficult to handle the horse, the more likely it was to win. I thought that was interesting. Although the horse appeared "naughty", it was just excited to get out there and win. My big winner of the day was named "Heza Wild Guy". He was behaving pretty well but the announcer like him, and that was good enough for me.
Watching all of those magnificent horses today reminded me of the 21 polo horses that died recently due to an over dose of the mineral selenium. How heartbreaking that must have been for the polo players and the owners. It was a painful lesson learned. Rest in peace, beautiful ones. You will be missed.
Last night I saw Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum with my oldest daughter. It was her first time seeing it in the theater and she loved it. I thought that the production I saw in Atlanta oh, about 17 years ago, was better. As Randy Jackson would say, "Dog, it was just alright for me."
The show that really knocked my socks off is Caroline, or Change showing now at the Guthrie Theater. Greta Oglesby, who plays Caroline, has got a voice! P-H-E-N-O-M-I-N-A-L! We'll be seeing her at the Tony Awards one day, I'm sure.
Everything about that show is fabulous: the set, the orchestra, the cast, the story line, the music. All I can say is WOW. Do not miss this show. Go online and order your tickets today, people!
It's not easy being a parent to teenaged girls but this Mother's Day has made it worthwhile. I am really touched by what my daughters did for me today. I woke up to a delicious breakfast in bed consisting of fried eggs, toast, hashbrowns and strawberries. There was not one but two bouquets of multi-colored daisies, one on the desk in my bedroom and one in the kitchen. After breakfast they presented me with a beautiful handmade card and two gifts: a bottle of perfume and the audio book version of New Moon. Every single gift, breakfast, flowers, perfume and a book, was something that I love.
Children under the age of 25 tend to be very self-centered. They spend a lot of time arguing and pointing out the inadequacies of your parenting skills. Not until they become adults or parents themselves do they realize that the world does not revolve around them and that they need to step up and start taking care of others.
But after today, there is a glimmer of hope that my girls have learned to look beyond themselves, even if just for a day, and express appreciation for what another has done for them. And I'm happy to know that yes, they really do love me afterall.
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