by “Die reinste Form des Wahnsinns ist es, alles beim Alten zu lassen und gleichzeitig zu hoffen, dass sich etwas ändert.”
Translates as: „the purest form of madness is to keep everything the same and, at the same time, to hope that something will change”
Quote is attributed to Albert Einstein
Well, here we are. I had promised myself that I would write my first post after handing in my notice, so having handed it in last week and today having done as many household chores as I could think of and several more that family members thought of, I am now starting the writing part of these pages.
What is this blog about and why has it got a funny name? To answer the second part first: as a child of the seventies and eighties I heard the song “Fade to grey” by Visage the first time around, it is part of the soundscape of my childhood, I like the song enough to resent DJs playing it too often. Listening to it recently on the radio I found the French words “devenir gris” resonated with me in a new way, pleasantly different from the English “fade to grey” and as someone who has been thrust, somewhat unwillingly, into middle-age they seemed more dignified and altogether more interesting.
The blog is a blank piece of paper. I think it will have various different functions in time, the first one is a place to document changes for and by me, myself and I. It might also be a travel diary for a while or a place to put lists and plans. I would also like to put the odd piece in on subjects of current interest but I shall definitely try to keep politics out, not because I don’t like politics, I find politics an essential part of living together, but because it tends to be divisive and these pages are more for the sharing of ideas and community (update: I did eventually end up bringing the politics pages into this blog as it seemed ultimately more suitable from my perspective).
So, back to business, notice was handed in last week meaning that my contract stops at the end of September 2019. I shall work as planned in July and August then, hopefully, be able to leave work after the first week of September and have nigh on three weeks until I will need to be back at home. These three weeks are, as yet, unplanned and are one of the things that I shall be working on in future posts.
As you have got this far, I imagine that you are wondering why I decided to hand in notice, what job I’m coming from and what I am hoping to change. Frankly, I wonder about this several times per day as well and hope that it doesn’t turn out to be a colossal error. Let’s say for the time being that I am leaving a secure, well-paid position in the health sector for numerous reasons, I shall definitely elaborate on and explore these in future posts because they are, in themselves, important and almost certainly the key to finding a meaningful and successful way forward from here.
As far as the aims for change are concerned: I don’t mind working long hours but I would like more flexibility and less collateral damage to my family life, I want to get involved at more levels and to make a small difference, I would like more time to invest in looking after me, us and ourselves, to get a bit fitter and thinner, to find a better balance.
So, this was the first post, I am looking forward to writing the next ones and am intrigued to see how it all develops.
“Devenir gris”
