Running Off Thanksgiving

The holiday season is upon us, with all its glorious dinners and pies and treats, oh my! This Thanksgiving meant escaping to the rural Tri-Town and indulging in lots of family and friends time.

In an effort to make the holiday slightly healthier, I took part in two races while home. I kicked off Thanksgiving morning with an inaugural turkey trot in Fairhaven to benefit the local food pantries. There were two running options: 5k or 5mi. Which do you think I opted for? 5k it was! As it was a fun-run, participants were encouraged to dress up. Unfortunately, I left my turkey costume in Boston; however, some runners made quite the effort. At the start line, we met a Pilgrim, two Native Americans, and Small Pox. (You know you're laughing too, as bad as you may feel. It's ok, I laughed too.) The morning was brisk- a toasty 33 degrees with a surprising wind around Fort Phoenix- and I think we shivered off more calories than we did running, but it was a perfect start to the day. Saturday morning, I ran another inaugural race at the high school, the Bulldog Dash. People from all over the Tri-Town turned out to help lower the cost of sports fees at ORR. It was only a two-miler, but it got me in my sneakers on a day I would normally spend in slippers. Mission accomplished. I was happy with my time... although the mascot beat me. Boo.

The third running-related event of the weekend was a metaphorical one; it was a run back to 2005. My high school class reunion was held at the Inn Friday night. For some reason, I spent the evening more anxious than a turkey on Thanksgiving Eve. It was great to see those who came, although it didn't stop me from shaking all night. I honestly don't know what came over me. Apparently four years of non-existant high school nerves materialized out of thin air. Nevertheless, it was a fun night with an unfortunate ending. One of our brilliant classmates yanked the fire alarm on his or her way out. The smarts never cease to amaze me...

Either way, it's always nice to run out of the city for a bit and spend time with the people you love (or the people you remember you love every five years... this reunion thing is going to take some getting used to!).

Caregiver

While perusing Facebook, I noticed that someone posted a link to a Jung personality/typology test. Of course I decided to take the test to enlighten myself as to what type I am. The crazy things we do sometimes... Why do we take these? Who better knows us than ourselves, right? So why take a test to tell me what I already know? Perhaps we are all just that self-centered. That should be one of the points on all results pages: Self-centered. I also thought that we might take these tests to put our complex personalities into concrete terms, to simplify them. Anyway, I took such a test and discovered that I am an ESFJ type, aka a caregiver. I am apparently moderately extraverted, slightly sensing, distinctively feeling, and moderately judging. A D. Keirsey broke down what this personality type means:

Providers take it upon themselves to insure the health and welfare of those in their care, but they are also the most sociable of all the Guardians, and thus are the great nurturers of social institutions such as schools, churches, social clubs, and civic groups. Providers are very likely more than ten percent of the population, and this is fortunate for the rest of us, because friendly social service is a key to their nature. Wherever they go, Providers happily give their time and energy to make sure that the needs of others are met, and that social functions are a success.

Highly cooperative themselves, Providers are skilled in maintaining teamwork among their helpers, and are also tireless in their attention to the details of furnishing goods and services. They make excellent chairpersons in charge of dances, banquets, class reunions, charity fund-raisers, and the like. They are without peer as masters of ceremonies, able to speak publicly with ease and confidence. And they are outstanding hosts or hostesses, knowing everyone by name, and seemingly aware of what everyone's been doing. Providers love to entertain, and are always concerned about the needs of their guests, wanting to make sure that all are involved and provided for.

Friendly, outgoing, neighborly - in a word, Providers are gregarious, so much so that they can become restless when isolated from people. They love to talk with others, and will often strike up a conversation with strangers and chat pleasantly about any topic that comes to mind. Friendships matter a great deal to Providers, and their conversations with friends often touch on good times from years past. Family traditions are also sacred to them, and they carefully observe birthdays and anniversaries. In addition, Providers show a delightful fascination with news of their friends and neighbors. If we wish to know what's been going on in the local community, school, or church, they're happy to fill us in on all the details.

Providers are extremely sensitive to the feelings of others, which makes them perhaps the most sympathetic of all the types, but which also leaves them somewhat self-conscious, that is, highly sensitive to what others think of them. Loving and affectionate themselves, they need to be loved in return. In fact, Providers can be crushed by personal criticism, and are happiest when given ample appreciation both for themselves personally and for the tireless service they give to others.

Now I (and you) know. I realize this has nothing to do with city-living, but I felt like sharing, because that's the caregiver I am...

Still Procrastinating

When I graduated and said goodbye to school, I thought I would graduate from the world of procrastination as well. Apparently, this little trait is clinging on for dear life. My procrastination has morphed into something new. I no longer have assignments to dread, so I'm simply putting off mundane tasks like doing the laundry, washing the dishes, grocery shopping, vacuuming, etc. Right now, for example, I'm not even sure what I'm prolonging but I know I don't want to do it. Regardless of what the procrastination centers around, my go-to activity has always been and will probably always be the same. I make lists. I make lists that I will never reference again, except in the recesses of my mind when I'm next procrastinating and decide to rewrite the same list. I make lists of movies I want to see (or add to the list of movies I'm required to see, which my friends began over a year ago... maybe I should start checking those off in my procrastination?). I make lists of books I want to read. I make lists of activities I want to do. My budget.* Christmas gifts to buy. A bucket list. On and on and on. It's a good thing I'm not a hoarder or else I would have been suffocated by reams of paper by now.

I do apologize to the trees and computer bytes who have given up their lives to my form of procrastination. Unfortunately, however, I don't see an end in sight. My list of other procrastination methods was lost years ago.

*My budget is what actually got me thinking about this post. I was mid-rewrite of the list and I realized I hadn't posted in quite a while. A budget is essential as a city-dwelling person. It's far too easy to walk down the street one afternoon and come home with nothing more than lint in your pockets. Sadly, I've come home with not only less money but less lint than when leaving countless times. I have to say, I enjoy writing a budget list. It makes me feel incredibly organized and mature. If only the funds on the list were equally mature...

Oh well, at least I have a handle on things. I'm looking forward to seeing this list come to life. When it works, the next re-write will in fact be exponentially more mature!

Randomly, here's a picture of our pumpkins from Halloween. Now that I think about it, maybe procrastination isn't my problem, rather than a serious lack of focus. Oh, look at the kitty! (Just kidding...)

Snow White's Wicked Stepmother and Jilly's jack-o-lantern... and mold. Ew.