Writing these lines, I am very aware that my train of thought runs on parallel tracks. And has been, for the last week.
For me and everyone working at Liseberg, there will always be a before and after February 12, 2024.
The tragic fire that broke out at Liseberg’s almost finished water park Oceana consumed most of the building over the following four days. And with the fire, we lost a most-loved colleague of ours.
A loss of life puts everything else in perspective. Nothing else really matters.
We give ourselves over to sorrow, despair and anger. The compassion for the colleague we lost – and everyone who was part of his life is almost all-consuming.
But two trains of thought must co-exist in our minds at the same time.
On one hand, you have to acknowledge and embrace the very present emotional dramaturgy that is the grieving process. Its dark. It’s devastating. It’s hard. But also necessary.
On the other hand, you have to look ahead. Soon we will all begin to speculate. How will we move on? What is going to happen tomorrow? Because there will be a tomorrow. And if that tomorrow is going be tolerable, or perhaps even better than yesterday, we have to act. Plan. Move. Rebuild. And we will.
Liseberg has persevered through many challenges in its 101 year history. A world war. Economic downturns. Serious accidents. A pandemic. Devastating fires. And we will make it through this challenge as well.
Wednesday this week, we opened the park for guests to walk the gardens, share memories, light a candle and reflect. It was a beautiful evening. However, I wasn’t there myself. Instead, I paused my work for a few hours to celebrate my daughter’s 16th birthday.
Darkness, light, work, life, sorrow, happiness – always on parallel tracks.
