Portrait Of A Watermelon

I love this photo; please let me explain why.

For the past week, my home has been abuzz with conversations about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

In short, the MBTI is a way to measure and categorize the way people perceive the world and make decisions. By evaluating a person's responses to a series of questions, the MBTI identifies one of 16 types for that individual, and describes the unique characteristics of that personality type.

Last weekend, everyone in my family took the test, if we hadn't already, and identified our own type. Then we read the descriptions out loud together, discussing whether or not the particulars fit with the person in question. Now I don't believe in horoscopes or crystal balls, but the MBTI seems to be spot-on in identifying what makes people tick. At least for my family, the descriptions were so uncannily apt that we found ourselves laughing out loud at the pinpoint accuracy with which each of our personalities were described.

For example, I'm an INFJ, and here are a few quotes that describe my type:

"INFJs place great importance on having things orderly and systematic in their outer world."I'm a stickler for organization and tidiness. Some might say a fanatic. As we read this, I was in the middle of overhauling my not-really-all-that-messy pantry, down to painting the walls, sanding and refinishing the shelves, and restocking all of my basic supplies. As one of my daughters recently said, "There's clean, and then there's Streicher clean." 

"They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks."Oh gosh, around our house, I'm definitely the project manager who envisions an overall goal, sorts out all the tasks and timelines, then sets everyone else to work. My most commonly procrastinated task is calling to make routine dentist or doctor appointments. And I'm very bad at searching for lost things - I  always rely on my precision-oriented family members to help me in that arena. 

"They are usually right, and they usually know it."This one made everyone laugh. Let's just say that within my family, I've got a reputation for being confident.

So yes, I'm a believer in the MBTI.

And my fourth-born is fascinated by personality types as well. She's an INTP, through and through, and this is one description of her that is particularly fitting:

"(INTPs) see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into."
Yes. My INTP daughter is the one who came up with the brilliant idea of buckling our watermelon into the seat belt for the trip home from the grocery store. It's a perfect, precise, and delightfully particular manifestation of her personality

And that is why I love this portrait of a watermelon.