Love Languages

I love taking personality quizzes and reading different personality things. It is probably my nerdy pop-psychology side speaking but I also just love gaining insight into myself and other people. Sometimes, I think those profiles put into words who I am without me realizing it. Sometimes, the profiles are pretty far off. One profile I love is the Love Languages. I think I love it because I love showing people that I care for them but people have different ways of receiving and giving love.
I think it is important to know this because for example I love receiving and giving quality time but many people may like to receive or get gifts. It is helpful to know this because I have a super wonderful amazing grandma that loves to buy things when she visits. Sometimes this annoys me because we can't stop until we find the perfect gift; I hate shopping. For me to know this is probably one of her top Love Languages is important because I can see that she is showing me she loves me and cares for me. Really, I am just happy being with her, I don't need her to buy me anything!
You can take the Love Language Quiz too! I had talked a lot about the Love Languages but have never actually taken the quiz. I knew Quality Time and Words of Encouragement were my top two but had never realized how extreme each one was but it makes sense...

12 Quality Time
6 Words of Encouragement
6 Acts of Service
5 Physical Touch
1 Receiving Gifts

What makes you passionate?

I woke up early this morning at 3. Not because I had to, just because it happened. I have never, not once just woke up and not been able to go back to bed. I took a melatonin about 9pm last night and went to bed at 11pm. I often toss and turn in my sleep but always go back to sleep. I read, I played on facebook, I journaled... it was productive and insightful time but I was awake after 4 hours of sleep! Today has been okay despite the lack of sleep. I went to an amazing training for work today.

The training was about anger and how to work with kids that are angry. I am pretty excited about what I learned today and what I am going to learn tomorrow. The thing about delinquents, they are angry and don't know what to do with it. I think the number one thing that I learned today is that anger isn't bad. It's what we do with anger that can be bad. Think about the positives that anger has provided....

Most social change came about because some got angry. To learn what you are passionate about, think about what makes you angry. I get so angry when people don't treat others fairly. I get angry when people don't have compassion for others and can't put themselves in other people's shoes. I get angry when people can't take care of their pets, when they are abandoned and not fed and not spayed or neutered, UGH!!! I am passionate about love (helping others) and justice (standing up for those who can't). What are you passionate about?

Another thing on my mind is life's coincidences. I have been reading a lot, different blogs, different books, news and today so many things related to what I have been reading. I think it is God's way of saying "this is important!" When a teacher is teaching you something, they don't just do it once and leave it, they bring it up multiple times, they give you homework, and you have class discussions on it. God is teaching me a lot right now, which is good because I have decided to take this year off from school and it is good to keep that brain active!

My day doing nothing.

So today has been awesome. Not because I went on some extraordinary adventure but because I just sat around doing nothing. Seriously, the most I did today was let a friend borrow my cat to catch a mouse in her apartment and yell profanities at the vacuum because it is the most retarded appliance I have ever dealt with; pet hair vacuum my ass! (Anyone out there reading my blog is more than welcome to buy me a new one... I will give you my address)

I made a lovely pot of coffee this morning when I woke up, I watched some TV, I have spent more time on facebook today than I have in the last 30 days, I will be watching more TV, I am thinking about eating dinner but that involves more effort than I think I am willing to do at the moment. Only one call from work so far and I redirected it to my boss (because it was a boss question, not because I am that lazy). Days like today are completely rare in my book.

Let me leave you with this... I have next Saturday off and I can't wait. I don't remember the last Saturday I had off (though it couldn't have been THAT long ago but not recent enough)!!!

Two in one day!

I know I posted something already today but I have been thinking a lot since then (good thinking). This afternoon I went to a training for work about having difficult conversations. I am a very non confrontational person. Not only do I avoid confrontation but even when it seeks me out I am so laid back that I don't react how most people would. I don't get offended easily and I don't often become defensive. Though these characteristics are true of me I have been sucked into the "empty pit". Relating this to a previous post, I am a protector and can get sucked into being a "caretaker". Caretaker in this situation means you are constantly trying to help someone but it is draining you personally/professionally because they (and you) have turned you into their personal therapist (which is not part of your job description). I have been the therapist and it really drug me down. Not only was I exhausted at work but I was exhausted in all areas of my life.

Luckily I got out of that situation. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it myself. My boss had to save me (which I am very grateful for). I did attempt to break out of the situation but gave up when my attempts didn't seem to make a difference. I hope that if I find myself in a similar situation in the future that I will not give up on myself and that I can confront that person and set up appropriate boundaries. Maybe I can even avoid being the caretaker.

The Bible/Church

Going to church has always been hard for me because I hate when people are fake and I also have a more "liberal" point of view (I will save that topic for another blog... maybe), which often clashes with the churches point of view. I loved the church I went to at home; the members were my family, I loved listening to sermons, I loved the worship, and I loved the fellowship and accountability. Since moving to Wyoming I have been to several, several churches. When I first moved here I went consistently to a church that I loved because once again, it felt like family. Well, they got a new pastor and the pastor had a pretty clear point of view on women's roles in the church. At the time I was leading the college Bible study and have a strong belief as women being leaders in the church. I decided it was time to move on. I hopped around for years trying to find a new church and finally found one I love, Snowy Range Evangelical Free Church. I love it. Unfortunately, for the last 6 months I have had to work Sunday mornings and think I have gone a total of 8 times since deciding it was the church for me. I hope, in the near future I can start going to church again because I love it so.

I also opened up my Bible today, which I don't do nearly often enough at about one time a week and it made me sad. I was looking up a verse in Romans posted on a friends page and there was a bookmark at Romans ch. 4. January I decided I would read my Bible every day. I started in Romans. I obviously didn't make it very far. I have lots of excuses, all of them lame sauce. I am going to challenge myself to read my Bible every evening before bed, even if it is a verse. Got to start somewhere, right?