ViaCharacter.org Character Strengths.

I love a good personality test. I think I came across this one (viacharacter.org) on Facebook. I found the results interesting, so I wanted to share them. The test looks for 24 personality traits or key values and ranks them based on a 100+-question test. But note, my #24 is Humility. LOL.

1) Humor. I was surprised to find humor near the top at all. But first? The more I think about it, though, the more sense it makes. For the last few years, I've used humor to distract myself from illness and stress. I love funny videos from SNL. I also love Jimmy Fallon's "Hashtags." I love laughing, and I love making others laugh. I try to tell funny stories. One of the best parts of my patchwork family is that we laugh a lot together. Humor is in Bruce's top 5 too! We certainly laugh a lot. He may like personality tests as much as I do.

2) Love of Learning.  I don't really have any major interest in going back to school. I'm satisfied with my MFA. The PhD comes to mind occasionally, but it would not be good for my family. Still, I learn a lot by reading. Even when I'm not learning new facts or skills, reading strengthens my mind, and events (like shows) can enrich the background of my thoughts. Josh got love of learning in his top 5 too. He's always doing some kind of internally motivated study. And he can read anything.This is in Bruce's top 5 too. These first two traits are probably two of the biggest reasons we're close. For example, we read together.

3) Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. I can certainly feel that. A painting, a hallway, a bit of graffiti can pause my breath. I've been building a habit of honest compliments--kindness or compliments that I felt but didn't express in the past. I love to have my walls covered with my passions--fairies, mermaids, movies, literature. People close to me really impress me, and I try to let them know. Josh got this one too! That's good he's a professor and needs to find the good in a student's work or even character. When he looks at me, he always finds something to appreciate such as my eye makeup, coordinated colors, or what I'm wearing. He sees great beauty in forgotten buildings or cemeteries.

4) Love. My love is no joke. Once someone gets it, it can be overwhelming. I want to love, but I'm not so good at it. I try to think of a person's love language (my brother's, for example, is touch) and use that.

5) Gratitude. One of the main reasons I started this blog was to build up my gratitude and my awareness of my blessings. I make lists of my favorites and miracles.

So that sums up a lot about this season in my life.