My Grade (So Far): Zest

zest: keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto.

Before getting around to giving myself a grade for this attribute (# 31 in this series if anyone is keeping track), I have to know - Does the dictionary definition of zest above strike anyone else as vaguely food-like? Relish? Hearty? Even the word gusto is close enough to gumbo to make me hungry.

With that out of the way, how would you grade yourself (so far) for zest? I give myself a solid "B" on this attribute. And, unlike other attributes requiring constant attention to keep my saw sharp (e.g. mindfulness), zest seems to come naturally to me, which in turn makes it easier to take for granted. But in good conscience, I haven't (yet) earned an "A" for zest - my moodiness often works against me. An old friend used to call my mild melancholy streak an "Irish discourse" but given how far back in my family history I have to go to find someone from the Emerald Isle, my friend's theory is a bit far-fetched.

Next month it's back to "A" in this series. Your ideas for an attribute? Ambition and amiability have already been covered. Or, I could just skip "A" in this third round and put more effort into letters I've yet to cover at all. You know which letters those are, right? Right!