In 2013 Elise and I parted ways due to creative differences. Elise has since gone on to cultivate a successful solo career while Heidi and I decided to stay together and continue to pursue the original artistic vision which had made our group so special. Now nearly two years later we are happy to announce that we have decided to get the band back together.
I have made significant departures many times in my life. To study in Germany. To volunteer in Hungary. To return to live in Germany. My emotions before disembarking were always a different conflicting mix, unique to that point in time in my life. Usually anxious, sometimes terrified, but always excited and enthusiastic as well. A constant across the years was always the ease with which I decided to start a new journey. It has never been a difficult decision for me to choose to take on a challenge someplace new. And I am fortunate enough to have a wife with whom I can share this thrill.
That being said, it does not make departing less difficult. There is no trick to make leaving friends, family, colleagues, and an established way of life behind any easier. Ever since we made the decision that I will join Elise in Switzerland, I have been possessed by a kind of fervor anticipating once again living together, starting a new job, learning a new city, making new friends, and getting to know new places. Despite the amazing amount of work involved in making such a move, it is just so much fun to start afresh. Especially if you can do it together with your wife and dog.
That is not to say that the paradox of moving has not also set in. Even though I find myself at times quietly smiling at my desk at work as I think about the coming move, there isn’t a day that has not gone by yet where I don’t run into a colleague who has just found out that I am leaving and wants to say goodbye. One might think that having the same conversation over and over again would grow tiring. However it is a reminder to me that I have had the opportunity to work with some really great people, who will genuinely regret my absence. Coming into work now reminds me both of the upcoming change, which thrills me, but also saddens me knowing that each day is a countdown to leaving behind such a great group of people.
Meeting up with a friend for a drink or celebrating a birthday takes on a whole new dimension. You’re positively beaming with excitement to share your news while at the same time disheartened that you will not see this person again for quite some time.
Even having dinner at our favorite restaurant can turn to melancholy. There are few things in the world as great as being a regular. When the waiter and chef know you (and your dog) by name, what you like, and exactly when you need another glass of wine, you truly feel like you have settled and become a local.
These realities are impossible to shut out and it would be a dishonor to our friends, colleagues, and years of experiences here to do so. What I find myself doing however is focusing on the adventure at hand. The reason why it is so painful to leave a life behind is because of how much joy it has given to us in establishing it over the years. How can one not be excited to relive that exhilaration, making new friends and laying down new roots?
So as I go forward in these next weeks, making plans for the move, instead of bemoaning a perceived loss, I will celebrate what was while looking forward to what may be.
Reunion tour dates to be announced.