I (Jody) first heard of the Enneagram late last year when a fellow missionary offered to teach an Enneagram class. He used as his main text, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-discovery, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile.

Scott and I took the class and gained from it. We learned the Enneagram describes nine personality types: their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and connections to each other. Although we didn’t agree with everything, we found a lot that rang true and was helpful. (If you want to know more, just search “Enneagram” for lots of information.)

I decided that I identify as type 2, the Helper or Giver, although I lean a bit toward type 1, the Reformer or Perfectionist. It took a few weeks to reach type 5, the Investigator or Observer. It’s described as intense, cerebral, perceptive, innovative, private, and able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Scott identifies as this type (and I can see our family and friends nodding heads in agreement).

Last Saturday morning illustrated what it’s like being married to an Investigator: it’s a bit of an adventure! I learned about ultra-black fish, VantaBlack, carbon nanotubes, the VantaBlack Hyundai Pavilion in Korea, Anish Kapoor (the only artist who can use VantaBlack paint), Black 3.0 (what all the other artists can use), an even blacker black developed by MIT, color absorption, what colors our eyes can see (basically the spectrum in the rainbow plus purple), and how hummingbirds can see colors we can’t (according to a three-year study by the Rocky Mountain Research Institute).

Like I said, it’s an adventure, and one I thoroughly enjoy. Scott introduces me to topics I would never explore on my own and broadens my world.