Life Like A Rubik's Cube

Anyone who has attempted to solve a Rubik's Cube is familiar with that feeling of rising excitement when you've aligned all nine squares of one color on one face. "I'm going to do it this time!" you think when the next colors fall into their fateful position. You're overwhelmed with confidence when nine greens, nine blues, nine reds all fall into place. You may even take a step back to admire your brilliant handiwork. Nine whites, nine...."Nooo!" Now you're at a crossroads.
You've twisted and rotated with seemingly accurate precision, but now you're faced with the dreaded fact that you must dismantle all of your hard work. The nine green faces must become six greens and a mispositioned row of white. You reassure yourself that it's for a greater good in the name of a hard earned victory. It causes a little anxiety, but you make the move anyway only to realize that now the nine blues have also parted ways. And where did that lone yellow square come from?! Suddenly, in the blink of a rotation, your waves of bubbling victory fade into woes of defeat. Rubik's Cube - 1; Ill fated Challenger - 0.

Welcome to year five in Barcelona. October 17, 2012 marked the official first day of our fifth year in our home away from home, and I can think of no better way to describe it than a puzzle. The moves we make now will ultimately determine the overall picture in the not so far away future, but for now there are several pieces still missing. The edges are nearly complete, and that's half the battle. Jeff has completed year one of his MBA and a wildly successful internship for three months over the summer. That should count for at least three green squares on our cube. He's submitted several applications and has landed a handful of interviews. Another two squares. A second round interview. Another square. A successful visit to London where he landed another interview. Another square. Our face is nearly complete!

This is not to say, however, that we've not been without setbacks. Enter a square of a different color to undo the progress we've made. Rejection letters? A red square blemish. Busy schedules to interfere with quality time with best friends? A rogue white square. Pressure from the boss for an answer about my employment status next year? Three infectious yellow squares. And just like that, the Rubik's Cube has won again; the picture the puzzle makes is once again a blur. Checkmate.

So, what do you do when you've lost a game? You can either throw in the towel and accept defeat or you can brush it off and get back in the saddle. Obviously we choose the latter. I just hope it doesn't come down to a Hail Mary.