thing at Christmastime, hiding large ornaments instead of eggs.
A similar activity takes place at another of my favorite events, the Easter Walk which takes place each year in Comfort, TX. Walkers search for large eggs hidden (again they are often left in plain sight!) along the route, and turn them in at the end of the walk for a plant or other Easter - themed prize. While participating in these activities this year, I wondered what makes Easter egg hunting so eggxciting to so many different types of people and why. Of course there are many things to love about Easter egg hunting, ranging from the thrill of the hunt itself, to the anticipation (and then hopefully the reality) of winning a prize or getting the candy inside the egg. There is the opportunity to spend time alone, or time with others, especially family and friends, and the feeling of being connected to previous generations who have also enjoyed Easter egg hunts. There is also the opportunity to enjoy reliving memories of past hunts. Last but not least, hunting Easter eggs (and Christmas ornaments) inspires many of us to reflect on what we believe to be the spiritual significance and history of the activity. For me, though of course I do hope to win a prize, my enjoyment of hunting eggs is definitely from the thrill of the hunt itself. I recall a hunt at the craft/antique store where, with the limit being one per customer, I saw a woman find an egg after she already had one. Seeing me coming up behind her without an egg, she gave hers to me even though I probably would have found it on my own in a few minutes. She was deaf to my explanation that I'd rather find one on my own (and do it honestly!) and insisted on giving it to me. Despite what I'm sure were her kind intentions, my enjoyment of the event was ruined. My four - letter type code on the Myers - Briggs Type Indicator(R) tool is INFJ, indicating that my preferences are for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling and Judging. I'm not sure which of those preferences would give me a love of detective - like egg hunting and my great admiration for the master detective, Sherlock Holmes. But I suspect it is my Intuition, the preference which keeps me focused on the big picture, the forest rather than the trees. Perhaps while hunting I am focusing on the layout of the store or walk route and on where along the way the eggs might be hidden. Though he is fictional, I've read that Sherlock Holmes most likely shared not only my preference for Intuition, but also for Introversion. Since Easter egg hunts are activities I do independently, even though there are plenty of other people not far away, perhaps they also appeal to my preference for Introversion and my need to be energized by time alone. While searching for eggs by myself I can enjoy the beauty of the walk route or enjoy the store merchandise, reflect on past Easters, what the holiday means to me spiritually, etc. | I've also thought that maybe my enjoyment of egg hunting comes from what I take to be its engagement of my inferior function, Sensing. The word "inferior" pertains to the complex field of type dynamics, which I touched on in my last blog. It is a fascinating subject but one which many type practitioners do not attempt to cover with their clients. Briefly, one's inferior function is the opposite of one's dominant function. It is the aspect of one's personality which is least accessible, least developed until later in life, and least comfortable to use. Since my dominant function is Introverted Intuition, I am most comfortable focusing on the big picture and the least comfortable focusing on details which come through my five senses, which is what Extraverted Sensing does. But perhaps I find it refreshing and relaxing to focus on details once in a while. Maybe I feel recharged after briefly walking through a store or taking a long walk outside, really noticing my surroundings and focusing on the here and now rather than the future as Intuitive types tend to do. I imagine that each of the lovable characteristics of Easter egg hunting I mentioned earlier particularly appeals to those with certain personality preferences. People who prefer Extraversion might enjoy egg hunting as an activity to do with family and friends. Perhaps Sensing types who value doing things as they've been done before enjoy the feeling of doing something which has been done for generations. Feeling types might enjoy this as a chance to help others, such as helping small children find eggs. Perhaps Thinking types like to imitate what I imagine Sherlock Holmes would do in using logic to figure out where the eggs might be. Of course, not everyone enjoys Easter egg hunts, and some people actively dislike or even hate them. I suspect that something about the activity that is considered important to them is not working out as desired, and that is what causes the feeling of dislike. Perhaps a desire for companionship is unfulfilled when one gets stuck hunting alone or one who wants a quiet walk ends up hunting with a big crowd. One reason I've heard for disliking childhood egg hunts is not being able to get to the eggs before someone faster got them. Perhaps for these people the important thing was the prize which they were not able to win when they couldn't find any eggs, or the eggs themselves if they were real and the child planned to eat them. Being short and a slow walker, I've had the problem of losing out to faster walkers myself on the Easter Walk! But it hasn't caused me to dislike the walks, because as was mentioned earlier the prize isn't as important to me as the fun of the hunt itself. It seems to me that regardless of our personality preferences, Easter egg hunts hold the promise of something eggxciting for everyone. Depending on whether we attain it or it eludes our grasp, I believe that the special something we hope for as we hunt either leads us to love the hunt or causes us disappointment. I believe the same is true for all traditional holiday and community celebrations and other events which people participate in and enjoy (or not) for different reasons. Regardless of whether you know your four - letter type code, what aspects of your personality such as those mentioned here do you think contribute to your love for your favorite holiday? I'd love to hear from you! |