Linking up with Kelly.

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On Saturday, I walked the Pilgrimage of New York, a fourteen-mile walk from the Mother Cabrini Shrine (near the Cloisters) to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine (near the Staten Island Ferry). We started at 9:00am and arrived at our destination for 6:00pm Mass. We lucked out and had beautiful weather all day! Last year it snowed the day before the pilgrimage, so this was a nice change.

We got crepes for dinner afterward and had the best time—I’m pretty sure we annoyed everyone else on the subway from laughing too loud. And walking fourteen miles during the day made dinner taste even more delicious :)

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I’ve had a few discussions lately about personality types and temperaments. I’ve already written about my MBTI personality type (INFP), and my temperament is phlegmatic-melancholic. I’m always curious to hear how people describe their personalities! If you’re interested in figuring out what temperament you have, you can take a quiz here.

Here’s an excerpt from a description of my phlegmatic-melancholic temperament:

The phlegmatic-melancholic is introverted (though less so than the melancholic-phlegmatic), which means that his deep emotions and anxieties tend not to be clearly expressed. They tend to react extremely slowly when confronted by antagonism or strong emotions. They are personable, quiet, and gentle. They value harmonious relationships. When you are first entering a relationship with a phlegmatic-melancholic, you may be struck by how easygoing and agreeable they are, but be aware that they are not revealing the depth of their emotions to you. They are deeply sensitive and value harmony and high ideals within a relationship. As a result of his delayed and sometimes dull response, a phlegmatic-melancholic will be slower to speak out, tempted to procrastinate, and reticent. They may appear—or believe themselves—at times to be “lazy.” At times when the melancholic aspect dominates, he will have plenty of time in which mull over in his mind what his response should have been. He may become easily offended (though he may not reveal this to you) or discouraged. The phlegmatic attentiveness to relationships, and to getting along and keeping the peace, will “take the edge off” some of the melancholic tendency to perfectionism and critical judgments of others. On the other hand, because he may be more easily offended, he may want to be critical of others yet hesitant to confront directly. The dominance of the phlegmatic temperament may also drive the melancholic proclivity to order and neatness out of the picture.

If you are a phlegmatic-melancholic, you will show a cooperative spirit and a desire to please, and will value harmonious relationships. You are particularly gifted in teaching, mediating among groups, and at counseling individuals. And though yours isn’t the most dynamic temperament, your lack of defensiveness, calmness under pressure, and gift for mediation in critical situations can make you a very effective servant-leader, one who is willing to roll up his sleeves and work along with those he leads by example.

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I recently discovered the Gilmore Guys podcast—it’s worth listening to if you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls. The episodes are pretty long, but there’s some entertaining banter and discussion of the show’s storylines. One of the hosts watched the show when it was on TV in the early 2000s, and the other host is just watching for the first time as he records the podcast. It’s interesting to get reactions from someone who doesn’t know what will happen in the next episode!

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Another recent discovery that’s kept me entertained lately: the C.S. Lewis Doodle YouTube channel. It takes audio recordings of C.S. Lewis’s writings and illustrates them with creative doodles and drawings. I’ve always thought that Lewis has some really brilliant insights, and I loved Mere Christianity when I read it just after graduating high school. The videos are great because they help give a visual to associate with the ideas Lewis expresses, which help them stick even more in my memory.

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My current favorite Starbucks drink is a secret menu item: Earl Grey tea with caramel syrup and vanilla syrup. It is delicious. There used to be a Teavana cafe near where I work, but it closed recently, which made me very sad; it had the best Earl Grey Creme tea and rice bowls. So now instead of fancy loose tea from Teavana, I must content myself with regular tea from Starbucks—but the discovery of caramel and vanilla syrup makes it better.

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I’m currently reading The Case for Jesus by Brant Pitre, which gives a scholarly perspective on the origins and authenticity of the Gospels. It has some great insights—if you’ve ever wondered about how the New Testament was assembled, or had questions about how to defend the divinity of Jesus, this is a good book to read. Pitre looks at a lot of detailed historical evidence and includes context of the Jewish roots of Christianity to give the reader a fuller understanding of Jesus as Messiah.

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I’m going on retreat this weekend at Villa Maria Guadalupe! I’m looking forward to it—I really enjoyed both of the Frassati retreats I went on last year, and I’m playing music again for this one.