Overcoming Inertia

It's days like today which bring it home to my why I have to quit my current job.  I can't go into details, but I didn't get home until seven thirty, more than two hours after I was meant to finish (I've already worked late all week)  soaking wet after having spent an hour outside in the pouring rain.  But these aren't the main reasons for my discontent.  No. That would be my employer's cavalier disregard for my health and safety.  Once again I and a colleague were placed in a position of unacceptable risk.  Again, I can't go into details, but believe me, the potential for potentially life threatening danger was present.  I'm naive enough to believe that an employer's first duty of care is toward its own employees, but that just doesn't seem to be  the case these days - everyone's safety is put ahead of ours by management.  But what the Hell, I should stop talking about this and do something.  I've clearly moaned about my work situation too much: my friend recently told me quite bluntly, 'Just leave'.  She is, of course, right.  (She always is on such matters).  But, as another friend, who as finally made the decision to retire from his work, was saying to me last night, over a couple of pints in the pub, the problem is always one of inertia.

It's all too easy to convince oneself that, not matter how bad the current situation is, moving on would be time consuming, disruptive and difficult: better the devil you know.  Which, obviously, is completely the wrong approach to take.  I should be celebrating the prospect of a clean break, a new start away from the over-familiarity and comfort of the current workplace.   An uncertain future should surely be preferable to the all too predictable work cycle I'm currently trapped in, facing the same drudgery, day in, day out.  But I need time to think all of this through properly.  I've taken a step toward being able to do that today by booking in my Summer leave - three work free weeks of August beckon.  Hopefully, I'll suffer no distractions in the form of illness, failed boilers or clapped out cars that have marred my previous attempts to take time out this year.  Hopefully a few weeks of walking along beaches and striding through forests will help me think my next moves through properly.  After all, I have no mortgage, no dependents and money in the bank.  I really should be enjoying myself more.