TWO PERSONALITIES: SUMMER CAMP vs FINISHING SCHOOL

Two personalities, or shades of two, ought to be enough to make it through the day without more problems.

If one is enough, stick with it, but don’t feel trapped.

Multiple personalities are not a good sign, but two are not a problem if used with proper care. But which two?

Herschel Walker, the football player for the Dallas Cowboys who was traded for three Super Bowls in the early 90’s, was reportedly diagnosed with multiple personalities.

His college football coach was asked if he knew about it and said, “No, but I sure liked the one who played football.”

It’s a serious condition, but the personalities I see in people are limited to just two.

Summer Camp People

Call them Outdoor People, but they are more. They have skills and like to show them off.

Pitch a tent in the rain? No problem. At night? Even better. Then make a fire? Done.

If you’ve seen Naked and Afraid, then you’ve seen people with summer camp skills, and more without.

One way to find if you’ve got summer camp skills is imagining what you’d do if an early summer campout turned bitter cold without the right gear?

What would you do on a stormy coast campout so windy that you hear trees falling nearby?

I packed up and left, but summer camp guy would stick it out for the learning experience. Does that make me the other personality?

Finishing School People

If you don’t which one you are, take this yes or no test:

Do you have seasonal throw pillows to brighten every couch, sofa, and love seat?

Is there a drawer in the kitchen so packed with tea towels that you rotate them seasonally also, instead of an extra role of paper towels?

Do you own slippers for the house, clogs for the yard, and a rack of shoes that all look alike for every other occasion?

Finishing school adds style and flair to the ordinary; Summer camp is more practical.

One feeds an inner desire for order and peace, while the other looks for things gone wrong to fix.

Combine Two Personalities For The Best Results

What happens when Finishing School marries Summer Camp?

Lots of reminders about wearing shoes in the house.

Questions about whether or not it’s healthy to obsess over everything.

Personal hygiene improves for one of them.

Best of all, this is the combination the adds empathy to a life view. When your wife or husband, or life partner, soulmate, does things you don’t understand, you ask questions and talk it out.

Then, when you see the same behavior in others it’s not such a surprise.

Which movies pair the two personalities? The Odd Couple? Thelma and Louise? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

When Butch and Sundance were chased to the edge of cliff and had to jump, Sundance went Finishing School with, “I can’t swim.”

Butch broke out Summer Camp with, “Don’t worry, the fall will probably kill us.”

Which way do you lean? Which personality serves you best?