Golden Beaver. Beaver Retriever.

It's been far too long, my dear friends.

So, I just wrapped up Kids Kamp at Christ Chapel, where I work and go to church.  I'm glad to have participated, and I enjoyed SO many aspects of it.  I'm a little wary of a few elements involved, but I'm not sure how to properly articulate those at this time, so I'll just say this: read Radical by David Platt.  That's how I'm feeling at the moment, and I'm not sure what to do with it, so I'm in prayer and staying pro-active.  My life goal is to make much of Christ, and I will continually be asking how I can do that best with my days.  But anywho...

There are 4 basic types of personalities as described by the DISC personality assessment.  The personality types are as follows:

• Dominance – relating to control, power and assertiveness
• Influence – relating to social situations and communication
• Steadiness (or submission) – relating to patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness
• Conscientiousness (or caution, or compliance) – relating to structure and organization

These could also be called Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver, respectively (totally stealing from our guest speaker last Sunday, who was amazing, but I can't remember his name right now).

Lions are the ones in charge.  Otters are people people.  Golden Retrievers are harmonizers (they have a hard time saying no).  Beavers are the ones with impeccable planning/organizing abilities.  Each one is energized by their quality.  Social situations don't exhaust otters--they exhilarate them!  Beavers are most giddy when they've just finished a big organization project.  Lions aren't intimidated by being put in a position of control over a group--they're thrilled by responsibility and their role of leader.  Golden Retrievers are most at peace with the world when they are doing something to help others.  Make sense?

Mkay, folks, I'm here to tell you that I'm a Beaver/Golden Retriever with a spot of Lion who feels like she should be an Otter.  And I'm dating an Otter/Golden Retriever.  It's a pretty perfect match.  I think everyone should have a healthy dose of Golden Retriever, personally, but then again, I also think that everyone would benefit from a little Beaver-style organization.  Maybe we all think others should be like us...  Lions?  Do you wish that everybody else had the leadership ability that you have?

It says a lot about my past relationships...  I think I have a more challenging time getting along with Lions, and there are definitely a couple of those in the dating history...  I've historically gravitated to fully Golden Retriever types, and I've noticed that those situations always frustrated me eventually.  I didn't like the lack of leadership.  I don't care to be the leader.  The ideal spot for me is the "right hand lady."  I connect deeply with the playground rhyme "first is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the treasure chest!"  I don't have muscles to carry a treasure chest, but I'm really good with a map, ya know?  I wanna be first mate.  Administrative assistant.  Vice Pres.

If my Lion father is reading this, he is doing so with no small amount of shame in the lack of Lion in his little girl.  But ya know what, daddy?  Lions couldn't operate without Golden Retrievers and Beavers!  It just wouldn't work!  We're the ones with the planners and the cell phone making sure that the Otter/Lion is getting where he/she needs to go!

I'm peacock proud of my Beaver/Golden Retriever self.  And Jared can Otter for me at parties, which is delightful, and then I'll be the one to remember where we parked the car :)