Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Ten Things For Tuesday: Ten Things I've Learned About Myself

Socrates, among other greek scholars, is attributed with saying, "Know thyself," though how he knew King James English is really the question. Anyway, I've learned a few things about myself over the years, and though I'm sure it's hardly a worthy pursuit, I thought I'd share these tidbits with you.

Ten Things I've Learned About Myself:

1. I really like to make things (but I have so little a background in this that I really do have to be shown HOW to do it!).

2. I like to know HOW things work. In fact, I don't store information well when I don't understand the 'how.'

3. I reached adulthood without developing lots of preferences, especially regarding food. There weren't options in our household; you ate whatever you were served. So why bother deciding you didn't like it? :-)

4. There are foods I really don't like. And some I was never served growing up, but love.

5. My fall-back defense mechanism when I feel overwhelmed is to not do anything...to just pretend it isn't there. Don't deal with it; don't acknowledge it. It turns out that this is a lousy way to function successfully in life.

6. I don't have a great long-term memory. If it's not something I've reviewed in recent history, there's a good chance I won't know it now. Scripture and random, useless facts are usually an exception to this. This is one of the reasons I never want to have a job where someone's life could hang on my decision. What if I forgot something critical?!?

7. Just as my brain isn't always trustworthy, neither is my heart. Makes me mighty glad that God Himself has taken up residence in me! Who knows what I would be like without Him?!

8. I am cautious beyond belief by nature (I once scored a 3 out of 100 on a risk-taking analysis), but when I have peace that God is moving, I will pick up and do just about anything.

9. I love order and symmetry, but have learned to appreciate forms of disorder and asymmetry...But not as much as I love order and symmetry. ;-)

10. I am a more selfish, evil person than I could have ever imagined. The older I get and the more I love Christ, the more messed up I know myself to be.

Well, not exactly Shakespeare, but at least it's something.
Gotta run!

Pressing on to know the LORD,
-J

So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth.
--Hosea 6:3, NASB

(c) 2008

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hang on to No 8 - both directions.

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...

I'm with ya on #5,7 &10!!

Great post, J!

Beth@playinwiththepaulsens! said...

Great post! I am gonna copy this post idea!

Rachel said...

Funny!!

#1 Come live with me for a few days. I will teach you all I know. Then - you can be Martha Stewart. Either that or you can not be Martha Stewart like me!!

#2 Sometimes How is too much for me!!

#3 I think that I am about the same. But I think my mom cooked to our tastes, and she was a great cook, so I don't think I was served much that I did not like.

#4. I hate sour cream. I think my tastes have grown also. I hope that my kids tastes are developing into something more than kid foods.

#5. Why do anything when you can just sleep!!

#6 I don't remember what that one said!! Hee Hee

#7 Yeap!!

#8 Is taking on 5 kids concidered daring?

#9 I don't know what order is anymore!!

#10 Selfish and messed up. That is new to you. I have know that about you for a great deal of time. J/K You are a great person. But I know what you mean.

joyce said...

I am too proud of my ingrained since childhood to never waste food. (so I carry it around my waist-ha) But, our frig often looks empty, as I try to use food precisely. And only cook or keep what we are gonna eat. When relatives are in town, it is just too hard to recycle cans and bottles, so I let that go. And it is too hard to control the mass of food coming and going. So, I just said to myself that as soon as I get back from taking the last of the loved ones to the airport, I will clean out the frig of boxes of leftovers. (my sister had even thrust upon us her chinese take out box of half eaten king pow with peanuts.) When I got home, I hauled the teetering stack to the garbage, and GOD provided the mangiest, ribs-sticking-out hungry dog, obviously a new mother---and I was able to NOT waste the half eaten steak, the cheese sandwiches, and the half Schlosky's... and I was so thankful and amazed at MY GOD who knew how I hate to waste food, and how there was a need. This poor doggy had no hair on her backend. She belongs to a family down the street that obviously neglects her. You'd think folks that can afford beer can collections in their recycling could afford dogfood. But, it was God telling me HE is in control. And HE used me to feed one hungry dog.