A Walking Psychology Experiment

God could have made us all Sanguines.
We could have lots of fun but accomplish little.
He could have made us all Melancholies.
We would have been organized and charted but not very cheerful.
He could have made us all Cholerics.
We would have been set to lead, but impatient that no one would follow!
He could have made us all Phlegmatics.
We would have had a peaceful world but not much enthusiasm for life.
We need each temperament for the total function of the body.
Each part should do its work to unify the action and produce harmonious results.
-Florence Littauer in The Gift of Encouraging Words

Way back when, (in chiro school maybe year 2 or 3), we took a personality test. As the above verse explains,there are four main types of personalities: Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholy and Phlegmatic but often two "close" traits are mixed, like Phlegmatic and Melancholy. IF "opposite" traits are mixed, it is an unnatural combination, which "they" say is the result of masking of our true personality.

Wouldn't you know that I am a triple masked unnatural combination?! I am both a Melancholy and a Sanguine (with only one point shy of Choleric)- and they are total opposites... how does that happen??
I always held that I was multi-faceted, my high school principal called me a Renaissance child, but really it turns out that I am just a freak  mentally busy.

Today, I am chaperoning a choir competition and these kids are hilarious- junior high. That perilous edges between irresponsible kid and sorta responsible young adult.... a weird age. Awkward with an occasional glimpse of future potential. Personalities, unmasked, out there for all to see. No labels or expectations quite yet. They are who they want to be, not who they think they should be.

They are singing.
Collectively.

I mean, of course they are- it is a choir trip :) Here I sit in the front seat laughing with the bus driver and suddenly I am aware. My multiple personalities are all there wanting some attention! The sanguine in me, the life of the party entertainer wants to stand up and at the top of my out of practice lungs and with my out of shape old dancers body, show them what a real performance looks like! And then.... the choleric steps up as a lead by example professional adult and the melancholy me sits and takes to writing about how there is a crazy lady in there somewhere. I must, for some reason, remain the mysterious and very adult wife of the choir teacher (and coach- maybe he is unnatural too) who is quietly musical and very in charge. The older I have gotten, the less I put myself out there. I almost feel that to be the professional me, the fun me had to leave and that is a big shame.

Keep singing kiddos- my multiple personalities all like it in different ways.

My sanguine self- partially buried for awhile...

Chicago (the musical) 2002

-don't judge... the costume fit my character :)