My Personality Test

So I kind of had this sweet revelation the other day with the help of a friend. He convinced me to take this online Myers Briggs personality test (I apologize in advance if you are a gung-ho advocate of this device). I answered the test as truthfully as I possibly could and took a considerable length of time to complete it. As soon as I saw my results (which was "INTP"), I quickly typed the acronym in the google search box and began frantically researching summary articles on the personality type. I didn't get very far into my research when feelings of excitement and curiosity suddenly turned into utter disappointment. I had the personality type of the "absent-minded professors." Someone with an INTP personality is typically more introverted, and has a difficult time conveying their feelings. They also tend to be more sarcastic and cynical. Their one supposed "glory" is that they have brilliant minds (which I don't believe is even remotely accurate for me). In discovering this, I then proceeded to blame my friend for making me take the test (naturally). But it wasn't until we started talking about our projected personality types and filtering it through with God's Truths, that I began to realize how insignificant a personality test really is for a believer. I can attest to the fact that God changes the people whom He calls. There are things about me (even my personality) that have already been refined, abolished or simply redeemed in just the last 5 months of my life. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in someone's life - it is only natural that they become more like Christ. Someone who may have been shy her whole life will soon become unreservedly bold in sharing her faith with others. Someone who used to be sad and despondent will become joyful in the midst of his circumstances. Someone who used to crave the spotlight will learn to speak and act as Christ would and to see himself as a prior object of wrath and now an object of mercy. Someone who may have had a strong dislike for reading or writing will find herself consumed in the insatiable Word of God and writing blogs about theology and grace. Someone who may have had a tendency to hide her shame and her feelings will begin to SEEK confession and transparency in all of her relationships. There are countless other examples, friends. But I think my point is this: God redeems. So before you take something like the online Briggs test and get all upset about what it predicts over you - remember that the TRUTHS of God are the only facts by which you should live. Love you all dearly.

Presh:

The time when my senile elderly patient had a temper tantrum and- to prove a point- ripped the phone out of the wall and proceeded to utilize it as a meat hammer for the sole purpose of pounding his oreo cookies into smithereens on his bedside table....the best part was when the anger mgmt pounding suddenly evolved into rhythmical beating- and, at that point, i knew he was much too pleased with himself to remember why he was ever mad to begin with....

Crossfit

Camille Leblanc...living proof that you can be pretty AND strong.

The YMCA Duo

so i've been observing this father and son duo at the YMCA for at least a couple years now (off and on)....and i love it. i would say their body types are naturally scrawny- but let me tell you they have worked their biscuits off!! the dad has made obvious progress and, consequently, has recently been rewarding himself with a "cooler" look by purchasing some sweet adidas shoes and sporting some nice fruit of the loom sleeveless T's to expose his newly chiseled triceps. the son, on the other hand, (maybe about 17 years old) still seems to be struggling to achieve any noticeable results. tonight they were bench pressing. the father stood over his son with his arms crossed and his shiny bright red adidas shoes casting a reddish glow over the room... with his son in blatant agony, flailing his ratty lawn-stained new balance shoes frantically in the air as he struggled to inch the bar over his head....... i couldn't handle it.

When it comes to being a nurse, I sometimes get scared.
I start my first real nursing job on June 27th. I'll be working on the Med/Surg unit at General Hospital in Charleston, WV. Words can't describe my nervousness. But at least I'll be at home with the support of my family. More than anything, I would love to just get out of this country or at least some rural area in the U.S. and do preventive health care. I glanced at the cover of a Samaritan's Purse magazine the other day and saw a girl in scrubs holding an African baby. I shouted "Get ME there!" But I know I'm where God wants me to be right now- eventhough I'm not such a fan right now. Sometimes you gotta go through poopy seasons to get to better seasons...and who knows, maybe it won't be such a poopy season after all.

Seasons

somtimes ya gotta go through poopy seasons to get to better seasons...
(a little insight into the mind of Brittany Horswell)

People-watching

The other day i took my mom to Kroger and waited outside in the parking lot for her while she shopped because there was a massive typhoon taking place outside and she didn't want to jeopardize the integrity of her groceries by walking through the rain storm. As my weary eyes struggled to keep watch over the exit doors of the store (it was 7 am mind you), i suddenly noticed what seemed like a flash of lightning blaze past the side of my car. what i didn't realize during that split second was that the faint image was, in fact, an elderly man driving his hover round scooter filled with all sorts of newly purchased produce smack down the middle of the car-intended lanes. there were several things concerning this scenario that genuinely concerned me- two of which i think are especially worth mentioning: 1. it was not only raining cats and dogs but, i promise you, there were actual lightning strikes violently piercing the sky 2. I am fully convinced that that man sincerely equivalated the rights and capabilities of his little scooter with that of a 21st century automobile. as i sat watching this little creature of a man nonchalantly race his scooter down the middle of the parking lot, i became only mildly alarmed when i saw him actually stop at an adjacent street intersection, look both ways for traffic and confidently proceed out onto the right side of the moderately crowded road. I could not believe the man, but I was admiring his boldness. He literally thought he was invincible. i guess ignorance really is bliss.
Not long after this incident, my attention was immediately diverted to the profile of a stout young man, clearly an employee of Kroger, who was standing outside in the rain…watering some plants. I wanted to cry. I mean, this wasn’t any ordinary kind of a rainfall…it was the kind where you’re lucky to even see more than 3 feet in front of you. Not a minute after I had begun to process this whole situation, a 500+ lb Kroger customer waddles outside of the store, stops in her tracks, looks curiously at a large puddle in front of her and proceeds to bend down (somehow magically managing to maintain her balance) and retrieves a coin from the puddle. She looked so pleased with herself. I was happy for her. To be honest, though, I was more impressed with the woman than anything else. I almost wanted to get out of my car and give her a standing ovation. In case the idea has never dawned on you before, allow me to point out that not many people stop to pick up change off the ground…especially West Virginians…and especially those who are more than pleasantly plump (which automatically factors in the majority of the state’s population)…and espeeeeeecially in the middle of violent elemental storms. So, naturally, I took a few extra minutes to fully appreciate the miracle. Shortly thereafter, the rain had finally subsided and I noticed yet another interesting character. It was another Kroger customer- a clean-cut gentleman who looked like any ordinary businessman with his adorable iron-pressed khaki pants, collared shirt and tie. What uniquely caught my eye, however, was the fact that his grocery bags contained only these two items: Ramen noodles and Easy Mac. It was clear that he was preparing for another mundane week of microwavable meals. I started imagining the many possible lives in which this man may live. Perhaps he was a widower, a man without any children and with no familial relations nearby. His wife surely must have a been a proficient homemaker and a wonderful cook- a woman that ran a saintly traditional household, one in which the woman alone does the cooking and in which the husband’s role is strictly to financially support his family. His wife probably died from a severe degenerative disease that could not be medically disarmed. The poor widower has been on his own now for nearly three years and, though he has finally come to grips with the loss of his wife, he has had an incredibly difficult time domesticating himself. In fact, the only non-microwavable meal he is sufficiently equipped to prepare is meatloaf, a cherished recipe belonging to his deceased wife. Mr. Clayton (that’s what I named him) must have spent countless hours and gone through lord knows how many pounds of ground beef in desperate attempts to perfect his meatloaf-cooking skills. Alas, Mr. Clayton cannot live on meatloaf alone, which is why I had the opportunity to observe this pitiable creature clutching his microwavable merchandise close to his chest as he walked hastily through the Kroger parking lot. Bless his little fighting heart.
Oh glory i could go on and on about all my observations at Kroger that morning…buuut I’ll save you the boredom. If any of you are dedicated people-watchers I encourage you to continue in your ways. if you don’t learn anything from it or become more humbled in some way, I’m certain you will find a reason to laugh.