A Maturity Test

While researching Relationships for an article on TMFC, I came across a book titled, “After Every Wedding Comes a Marriage.”  Inside this very cool book by Florence and Fred Littauer was a Maturity Test.  The test is one of those “Mental Spark Plugs” that life’ll throw our way every now and again.  Can you imagine how together and brilliant we’d be if we took advantage of every such spark plug?

Unfortunately, most of the time we’ll read something like this list or a great quote and think, “I wish so-and-so would read this….he needs it.”  Or, “There are a lot of people who mess up there…”  We humans are pretty funny like that, aren’t we?

A Maturity Test: 

• Do you need to blame other people when things go wrong?
• Do you make excuses for your failures?
• Do you prefer to ignore difficulties and hope they’ll go away on their own?
• Do you sometimes blame your poor background for why you’ve never fulfilled your potential?
• Do you tell a little white lie if it’ll get you off the hook?
• Do people sometimes say, “When are you ever going to grow up?!”
• Do you avoid responsibility if possible?
• Do you find it difficult to adjust to new situations?
• Do you wonder if you’ll ever get all of your life together?
• Do you often think - or tell others - that next year will be different, better, a success?
• Are you usually able to talk your way out of most anything?
• Do you feel that you never get the breaks you deserve?
• When you’re caught at something you shouldn’t be doing, is your first thought to make excuses?
• Do you feel that if you had a bigger, better house you’d be happy?

That’s, like, the third time I’ve read through that list, and what I initially suspected is now something I’m convinced of.  We’re all on this list somewhere because we’re all a little immature - just in different areas.  There’ll be some areas that we own, and other areas that own us. 

For example, I couldn’t care less about the size of the house I live in.  We’ve live in a brand new house, we’ve lived in one older than the Bible (okay, maybe not that old), we’ve lived in jazzy apartments, we’ve lived in an apartment the size of a mouse hole, we’ve lived in a spacious beach house and we’ve lived with family….WHERE doesn’t mean snap - HOW you live and WHO lives with you, that’s all that matters.  Besides, small can be cozy AND there’s less to vacuum and mop.

I’m also all over the adapt to new situations one.  I’ve had to be.  We’ve moved more than Shakira’s hips or Tom Cruise’s lips, and it’s taught me that you either move with the flow or you 1. Tread or 2. Drown.  Neither of those appeal to me, so I’ve always just flowed along and found happiness wherever it waited for me.

But, I most definitely do not like responsibility, I most definitely look to the next year as being better, and have most definitely been known to stand difficulties in the corner and hope they’ll just go away….. as if by magic.  As for the one about ever hearing, ”When are you going to grow up?!”  - Heard it?, heck -  I’m the one at the mirror asking it.

Of course, recognizing one’s faults isn’t a grand thing - the grandness comes only when we recognize, then follow up with repair.  If we hear our car clinking and banging, we haven’t done anything impressive, have we?  In fact, if we don’t do something about it, it’ll keep getting progressively worse…and louder…and, and, and - then we’re walking rather than rolling.

Sometimes we have to look under our own hoods and see what areas need a little work.  You know, check-ups.

That’s the mature thing to do and I need another point in my favor.

Joi