Same, but different

I've got a friend that has this saying that really annoys me - he tells me about something and tells me that 'it's the same, but different'. It annoys me because I think if it is the same it can't be different. And that begins the roundabout of vocabulary.

This phrase has got me thinking about where I am in my life at the moment. I am looking for some things to change and other things to stay the same. Am I looking for the same, but different?

I love the song by Pink, 'Leave me alone, I'm Lonely'. That song just sums things up for me.

'Leave me alone
I'm lonely
Alone
I'm lonely
I'm tired
Leave me alone
I'm lonely
Alone
I'm lonely tonight '

I feel like I want it all and I want other people to know and Pink describes this well,

Go away
Come back
Go away
Come back
Why can't I just have it both ways
Go away
Come back
Go away
Come back
I wish you knew the difference
Go away
Come back

My star sign (Libra) in the Sunday Herald Sun Magazine by Jonathon Cainer, Dec 14 2008 read: You want things to stay the same, yet you want them to change. You seek peace, yet you crave excitement. Is there a hint of inconsistency here? Might you be looking for a cake you can have and eat, but that will also allow you to shed kilos in the process? You're pushing the boundaries of what's possible. But then, you are you. Sometimes you can achieve a balance that seems precarious to everyone else but works perfectly. Stop worrying, but don't stop striving. I have brilliant news for you.

That feels so right for me - it resonates with what I am thinking and feeling. I do want excitement, but I don't want to give up my safe, organised and structured life. I like peace and quiet and time to do my own thing. A few days after this I got a phone call with a job offer. It's a temporary job, just a few months and an opportunity to try something new - it's a Social Work position and an opportunity to dip my toe in the pool of what I think I would like to do next. So I feel excited and a little anxious. And nervous. And enthusiastic. And scared. So I will work in the same office, park my car in the same spot, eat my lunch at the same place with the same people, but it will be a different job with a different boss and a different role. Same, but different.

Helen