Enneagrams

Raise your hand if you've heard of Enneagrams. My hand was definitely down when Michelle asked if I was familiar with enneagrams, specifically if I was familiar with type 7. Now that I am learned, shall I give the overview? An enneagram is a nine-sided figure used in a specific system of analysis to represent the spectrum of possible personality types. The seven is characterized with the following, with my name in parenthesis:

Dynamics of Type 7: Enthusiast

World View: The world is full of opportunity and options. I look forward to the future.
Basic Desire: to be happy
Basic Fear: of being deprived

There is obviously so much more about enneagrams, but I was impressed by the succinct manner in which the enneagram summed me up. I like my personality. I like the vivacious spirit that goes after new adventures with enthusiasm. I remember a friend I made in Europe sharing his surprise that I didn't mind wandering Europe by myself or visiting a museum alone. Obviously, I made friends, but I had no trouble heading out into the great unknown alone either because no one else was interested or because it was a greater adventure to go in solo fashion. However, there are downsides to the enthusiast personality. I have looked back at life and wondered what I missed in high school or college because I was doing this and not that. I remember my father telling me that I expect life to be too exciting. This is very true. I expect much from life and because of this, I often get much, but there are days when it's painfully disappointing to realize that it was just another work day in an adult job to make money for bills.

So, where I am headed with all of this? I can grab an idea and run and then change plans part-way through. Jared and I arrived in Nashville with a thread of plan that quickly fell apart so we decided to move back to Birmingham (I'm sure you remember the big announcement on the blog). Oh, but wait, we've decided to stay in Nashville. I'm not even joking and I think we're for real this time. I mean, we've listed our house in Birmingham again and have made an offer on a house in Hendersonville. I'm saying it flippantly as if we changed our minds one day and back the next. Rather, it has been quite the ordeal with much conversation and thoughtfulness over days, weeks, and months. There isn't a right answer, but we finally picked one.

In the words of a type 7, the world is full of opportunity and options. I look forward to the future.
I really do. I just hope it's not as painful as the last eight months have been!