Which of these blue skies speaks to you?

Do you love blue skies? I do love them, although I love all sorts of skies – rainy, cloudy, stormy, sunrises, sunsets. Lately I have been living under gray skies, which is really odd for this part of the world. And when the blue sky finally came out, I felt a bit livelier. Gray and dark skies make me focus, but blue skies make me celebrate. And I was definitely ready for some celebrating.

Growing up as a young girl, I experienced more blue skies than most people. In my hometown, it would even rain or snow with a mostly clear sky. I didn’t realize how lucky I was until I left. Now I know that people in many parts of the world can go for days or weeks without a blue sky in site. And while I do amazing amounts of work under a blanket of gray (especially when it’s cold), I do miss blue skies after a while. The color and brightness always cheers me right up, and I love to look at the dramatic cloud formations.

Rediscovering my love of blue skies made me want to feature a favorite quiz: The Blue Skies Test. We’ve done some programming upgrades on this one to make your experience go a bit more smoothly. Let me know what you get and what you think of this quiz. I know it’s hard to pick just one image, so go ahead and pick a second choice if you’d like

Discussion topics (Comment below and let me know any or all of these):

1. What do you get on The Blue Skies Test? Is it true for you?
2. What kind of skies do you prefer? Blue skies? Gray skies? Stormy skies?
3. What time of day do you like the sky the best?
4. What’s your favorite place in the world to observe a “big sky”?

What wall are you?

This is an odd question, but do you have a wall of your house or office that you really like? As much as I try to be an outdoors person, I find so much coziness inside. In particular, I like my modern little writing nook with a little day bed, laptop, and piles of books. And one of the things I like best about it is the blue wall in front of me with a huge black and white poster of Central Park in the winter.

Walls comfort me (and even inspire me) if they are interesting enough. I love a colorful mural, collage, or industrial backdrop. While big windows are nice (and I kind of want those too!), a wall can be more practical – and adaptable. Plus, walls don’t expose you to the elements and the whole world. They build up boundaries and defenses, which can be quite calming.

Do you think a lot about the walls around you, or are they simply just shelter? I used to not pay so much attention to the walls around me, but I’m getting more into decorating and personalizing them. It’s fun to be surrounded by colors and art that I love. I may not have the cool brick walls of an urban loft space, but I’m still kind of amazed by what a coat of paint can do.

My latest quiz, The Funky Wall Test, was inspired by some very cool wall pictures I found. See what the one you pick says about you, and feel free to discuss my result (and all things wall) with me below.

Discussion topics (Comment below and let me know any or all of these):

1. What do you get on The Funky Wall Test? Is it true for you?
2. What do the walls in your home look like? Painted? With pictures or posters? Something else?
3. What sort of exterior or interior walls do you like best on buildings? Red brick? Stone? Marble? Metal?
4. Do you have a favorite poster or picture in your home?

What do people adore about you?

Are you adorable? I like to think we’re all adorable in our own way. In fact, I think it’s the mark of a psychologically healthy person to find quirks adorable instead of annoying. Whenever someone I’m close to starts to annoy me, I try to remember that quirks or little differences are what make us unique. If you have the right frame of mind, so much that the people we love do can be considered adorable.

Even if you don’t consider yourself adorable, I bet there is at least someone who does. The great thing about being adorable is that it just means that someone finds you charming or delightful. While not all of us always feel attractive or lovable (whether you’re in a relationship or not doesn’t seem to matter for this), I think we can all be adorable.

I find a lot of things adorable in others, but probably the number one thing is genuineness. When someone is comfortable with being him or herself, I love that. Extra points if the person in question is a bit quirky or different. People who adore themselves are adorable. Simple as that. What’s not adorable? People who try too hard to in order to impress others. There is nothing charming about pretention!

Thinking about all of the different things I find adorable led my latest quiz: What Makes You Adorable? I made this one an image quiz, and I tried to pick the most adorable images I could find…cream puffs! Also, they might make you a bit hungry. Sorry about that

Discussion topics (Comment below and let me know any or all of these):

1. What do you get on What Makes You Adorable? Is it true for you?
2. What trait(s) do you find adorable in others?
3. Have you ever felt adorable? Who made you feel that way?
4. In your opinion, what’s not adorable?

What is your soul hiding?

Do you have parts of yourself that no one sees? I think we all do. And despite a lot of research saying that the more we reveal, the happier we are – I’m not sure I agree. Maybe it’s just how I was raised, but I’m skeptical of letting it all hang out. I think it’s good to have boundaries and privacy. I am definitely not one of those people who finds it easy to bare my soul, but maybe it would be better for me if I were a little more open about my fears and shortcomings Who knows?

No matter what, I think too much secrecy can be a bad thing. When we keep too much to our selves, we start to feel ashamed of who we are. Everyone has things they rather change about themselves, and keeping them away from the world can make them seem even worse then they are. Often times, when we open up, we can’t believe how many experiences, thoughts, and feelings we all share. And there’s something powerful in knowing that your friends and family accept the true you.

With all this in mind, I set out a quiz to figure out what each of us may be keeping private.  What’s Your Soul’s Secret? This image quiz will tell you what you’re keeping from the world, why you’re keeping it a secret, and what might happen if you freed your secret a bit.

Discussion topics (Comment below and let me know any or all of these):

1. What do you get on What’s Your Soul’s Secret? Is it true for you?
2. In general, do you feel like you reveal too much, too little, or the right amount?
3. What common secret / feeling do you wish more people revealed?

What is well rounded about you?

Are you a well rounded person? I try to be, but it’s definitely a challenge. There isn’t enough time in the day for work, staying healthy, seeing friends, traveling, having hobbies, and bettering one’s self. Whew! Even just going through that list is exhausting As difficult as being well rounded is, it is definitely a goal of mine. I think that bringing more balance to my life would lead to less stress.

If you think about it, being in a rut is almost the opposite of being well-rounded. It’s getting too extreme and stuck in one place, and as a result, your life seems all about a few things. Realizing that connection made me see how living a well balanced life has a strong psychological component. There are reasons why some of us flourish. We draw strength from many sources, and we don’t leave all our eggs in one basket.

I spent some time today thinking about being well-rounded, and I decided that the most well rounded people I know have something that pushes them to maintain balance. For some people it’s introspection – realizing that something is a bit off in their lives and doing something about it. For others, it’s optimism – that feeling that things will work out, so why not go for something new?

Thinking about these topics lead me to write my latest quiz: What Makes You Well Rounded? Instead of measuring how well rounded you are, it celebrates what may already be making you well rounded. And if you don’t feel like a well rounded person lately, maybe it will show you how you can better achieve that

Discussion topics (Comment below and let me know any or all of these):

1. What do you get on What Makes You Well Rounded? Is it true for you?
2. Do you consider yourself a well rounded person? Why or why not?
3. What’s one way that most people could be a little more well rounded?

What do you see when you look out into space?

Do you love to look out into space? I have to say that star gazing is one of my absolute favorite pastimes. Here in the city, I don’t always get the best view of the stars. Luckily, I do live in an urban neighborhood with very few streetlights, so I can see some stars most nights. And every so often I get a clear night when I can see many stars. On those nights, no matter how chilly or warm it is, I like to stand outside and look up for at least a few minutes.

Growing up in a small mountain town, I was able to see the stars almost every single night. I miss those quiet starry nights and the amazing things I was able to see. Seeing stars and the occasional planet is both thrilling and calming for me. When I can’t stargaze, I usually will watch a Dr. Who episode instead. I need to get my space fix somehow!

What about you? Do you find space as interesting or inspiring as I do? If I recall correctly, Blogthings has at least a few astronomy fans lurking about. My latest image quiz was inspired by the illustrations I found above – a collection of windows looking out into space. I felt like it would be fun to write a quiz that links your relationship with space to the image you choose. Here you go: How Are You Out of This World?

Discussion topics (Comment below and let me know any or all of these):

1. What do you get on How Are You Out of This World? Is it true for you?
2. Do you enjoy stargazing or astronomy as a hobby? How often do you do it?
3. Would you like to travel to outer space? What part of space would you like to visit?