Ulriken

"The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change." - Heraclitus

If this adage were set to music, it could be our theme song. We are in Norway this week not only to ponder the weather, the fjords, and the quality of coffee, we are here to interview Bergen as a potential suitor. My Uli (not Ulriken but Ulrich) is a finalist for a competitive academic position here. How in the world does that work itself into our current life rhythm? It changes the beat, the tune, and even the language of the lyrics.

It is a luxury to constantly be reconsidering our place and purpose on the planet. It is also stressful and exhausting. And we cannot seem to help ourselves. A few years ago I had to take a mandatory leadership course which relied heavily on Myers-Briggs. Although the personality types have been debunked and likened to the accuracy of a horoscope, I found myself listening and wondering if some of our inconsistency issues had to do with a personality mis-match. Like a good student, I marched home to confront my partner with these revelations, armed with discussions from class. Turns out that we have both taken this test multiple times with the same results...and we have exactly the same personality type: ENFP. Apparently ENFPs are change agents who are "keenly perceptive of possibilities." Yep. It seems we cannot help ourselves--or each other. We thrive on choice and change.

Settling down may never truly be possible when there is another option on the horizon. I guess we'll always feel compelled to check it out and really consider it carefully. That is what we are doing here in Bergen. Today, Uli had his interview (which he nailed!) and I decided to climb a mountain while he was at the university. How appropriate that one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen is Mt. Ulriken? On another stunning day, I did what I love to do. I wandered around in nature, taking a small hike from the top and then scrambling down this 600 meter mountain overlook on what was another breath-taking day.

The gondola up to Mt. Ulriken (oh that I had bought a round-trip ticket...)