The Future is Bright

I travel fair bit on business, although I try to keep it to a minimum, some weeks I get a perfect storm of engagements; Sort of like this week.

I’ve been up to manchester and back in a day (8 hours of driving) and now I’m dashing off to Austria for 3 days to catch up at the head office.

The flight was a little delayed, but I’m not overly bothered as my appointments at the other end are flexible. But it was as we took off that this blog was conceived.

I saw some horrible news today. The weather is -3 degrees, and there is thick fog around London and it is very much overcast. There was a helicopter crash in london, where the helicopter struck a crane on top of a building in the low visibility. I do not expect there will be any survivors. This is always sad, but at the same time, you take a risk when you fly a chopper in a built up area, particularly on a day like today.

I then read a fabulous article about a young 19 year old lad who is campaigning to ensure that publicly funded schools teach proper science, and do not offer creationism as a valid scientific alternative to our planets existence.

My spirits went from low to high in a moment; who is this young bright mind who dares to take on America’s religious establishment when the adults are sitting back and allowing creationism to filter back into school teachings as if it were some kind of science?

The kind of young mind, and free thinker I want my children to be. Anything is possible. Challenge the perception of normal. Who says you can’t do that? Society and its pre-conceptions and media have a lot to answer for.

I’ve recently been “suffering” from a light touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Yes, they gave it a name. It means you are less light hearted when the grim British winter kicks in and shrouds this beautiful landscape with rain and cloud, and dim light for a handful of hours per day.

It’s simply more uplifting in summer, I find myself arising at 5am bent on developing a personal project I’ve been working on, with big dreams in my mind and a song in my heart.

My dreams may change, they may develop, but that drive can be focused in many directions. There’s just less of it in the winter.

I’ve been playing with some of my Company’s tuneable white led products, which allows you to chose from a warm, orange light (around 2700k) up to a cool, icy pure white (about 6500k), and I have found that placing behind my work monitor and backlighting the corner of the room with a warm summery glow makes my job more pleasant. It’s a much more pleasant working environment.

And so you can imagine how much better I felt as we then took off into the clouds, and the fog, and we burst throug hthe low cloud cover to be faced with a stunning, blue sky, white, cotton wool clouds and a burning sun bathing my face with its life giving glow.

Here is the scene I was faced with:

My thoughts immediately fell on my wife, and our two eagerly awaited arrivals in the Spring. My heart filled with joy as I wondered at what amazing changes we are to experience, and the unlimited joy Pixie and Dixie will bring us. I thought “it’s going to be a great summer. The best Summer.”

I have a feeling I’m going to Austria to get a grilling for not bringing enough project work in (ive only been working here 8 months so far), but I don’t care. I’m doing a great job as my colleagues in the UK know, and given a little more time, this will tick all the boxes our head office needs to tick.

I’ve not had a grilling from any employer for over 10 years, and the possibility of being considered as under-achieving is both alien and alarming to me. I feel like I’m going back to school. But in my heart I know their concern is ill placed, and incorrect. They will see given a few more months.

This is the effect of sunshine on my psyche. The joy of everything positive in my world illuminates any shadows in my life.

It IS going to be a great summer, and I can’t wait until wednesday to find out if we will have footballers, ballerinas, or both, to come and join our family in the spring.

Bring on the scan.

Bring on the bollocking!

Bring on parenthood. I will deliver the goods, for my work and my family.

Bring on the Summer!