From the Frontier Bar, on the Midway, MN State Fair. Highly recommended.

People go to to the MN State Fair for the rides, the food, the animals, and the live entertainment—and by that we mean the People Watching. My ideal fair day includes lots of live music (5 bands yesterday), some crop art, the best cheese curds on planet earth, and, of course, a few beers

You see it all at the fair. But I did NOT expect to see aliens! At least that’s how my friend Scott interpreted this picture. You see, we have a longstanding inside joke about aliens. So when riding the bus shuttle home I texted him this picture with one word—ALIENS!

He quickly replied, “And some tall green people behind them.”

I dunno. Maybe you had to be there. But after a long day at the fair, one feels a dizzy, punchy glow. So I found that to be the funniest thing in the world. And proceeded to laugh like a bad church boy on the packed bus. Until tears were flowing.

Did anyone notice? Not really; they were experiencing their own giddy euphoria. Do you know that feeling? I hope so.

I skipped the state fair for decades—avoiding the crowds, the lines, the chaos. I know better now…and see this otherworldly stimuli-fest as one of the most unique, accepting BreakAways around. I recommend it. As do the 2+ million loyal annual attendees.

Which brings to mind an old BreakAway mantra: When in doubt, just go!

Don’t believe me? Ask the aliens.

Egrets? I’ve had a few. But few as lovely as this mesmerizing visitor last Sunday…

Like watching or listening to birds? Just do it! Articles keep flying around telling us that doing so reduces stress, increases your well-being, and makes the birds feel better about themselves too.  (That last part is a joke.)

Research confirms the idea. We learned it again for ourselves as we sheltered in place and had time for such during the pandemic. And this white egret proved it to me personally when out on the kayak with my daughter a few days ago.

Feeling overwhelmed? That’s a problem for the birds. So…Note to self: Put down the screen and go get groovy with your feathered friends outside!

The 9-5 weekday workweek is fading away like a fine drive.

Golf in America has been through many, uh, rounds. Up, down, in, out, back again. But since Covid, people are spending more time on the links than ever. And much of it is on weekdays—when workers used to wallow in cubicles, not strut on greens.

It brings new meaning to work/life hacking!

• Stanford study + geolocation proves the putt-point

Stanford and others have dug into the dirt on the golfing renaissance, with astounding findings like this…

• 278% more people are playing golf on Wednesdays at 4pm than before C-19

• In Cali, visits have almost doubled on TU, W, and TH

• Weekday rec goes beyond golf, and includes gyms, malls, tennis, hair, more

I remember golf booming—along with camping, bonfires, and other outdoor activities—during that lonely pandy period. Heck, I golfed plenty myself, and often with my children who were unexpectedly stuck at home. Heaven! (Even if my golf skills can include ill whiffs.)

But will this last, I wondered? Maybe so! Why? Because people are taking their time back!

• Daybreak trend soars beyond the course

Lisa M. Kreiger’s article (San Jose Mercury News) also tells of lunches, dates, bike rides, family outings, and more happening on what used to be strictly Company Time. We at BreakAway practically weep with joy (as opposed to our tears on the course) that folks are taking their shot at prioritizing what matters.

And guess what? The economy is doing just fine, thank you.

Have we really redefined that delicate but often brutal work/life balance scale?

“It’s the little things, like having lunch with my husband on the back patio.”

~ Tina, Project Manager

• What goes around becomes a round (Insert eyeroll emoji)

Way back in history, like, maybe only 100 years ago, before the industrial revolution (and later, the corporation/office-obsession explosion), people got their work done on their own schedules and terms. Think: Farmers. If that’s really happening again, we BreakAway mavens may be out of work soon.

Except…most people still work too hard and too often hit their most coveted long-term travel dreams into the rough. So we’ll keep preaching what we practice. And practicing what we preach.

Getting your life back? Good for you. Wanna escape to Thailand for 3 months…maybe check out their golf courses?

Hey, you’ve gone from all-day sales meetings to teeing off on Tuesday afternoon. So why not give it a shot!?!

Lovely murky sunset over Lake Okoboji, courtesy of Canada and their wildfires.

Are we living in the end times? Hell, yeah. I thought that those of us of a certain age would take a spaceship to Heaven before all that. But any more, it’s hard to find any good news about planet destruction slowing down. It’s too damn bad. Cuz this place was Eden, and bazillions of innocent species do not deserve to be wiped out. Humans do, though; we’re the intelligent ones. And look what we’ve done with all them smarts.

My personal thanks to those who still think global warming (a better label than ‘climate change’) is a hoax. And to the cultures who don’t give a hoot about overpopulation. But let’s minimize the anger, enjoy the pretty sunsets that vital getaways provide, and drink a toast to, well, Planet Toast. While we still can.

Cheers!

Skip the Apple store and ditch the iPhones. Take your kids fishing, swimming, hiking, singing, gardening… 

Seems like this story should be older than dial phones by now. Still, when a ‘public advisory’ hit Tuesday that social media poses risks for children, we knew the quiet controversy had hit the top. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated that policy makers, tech companies, researchers, and parents need to “urgently take action.”

While admitting that SM can have benefits, the warning nonetheless includes that “there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” The report also cites evidence that the developing brain may undergo changes—not good ones.

The American Psychological Association also declared its first SM guidance this month. Unfortunately, the responsibility for any changes ultimately falls primarily on parents. And having experienced endless education debates in which some arguers insist that all kids’ problems should be fixed by the parents, well, know that such simplistic approaches don’t work. Parents are busy, stressed, sometimes separated, and of course too obsessed with their own phones.

Our children have become unknowing participants in a decadeslong experiment.

~ U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy

The report is disturbing. Pile this on top of virtual pandemics of youth anxiety and depression (no doubt related), and there’s much to worry about.

But what can we do? Besides worry? If you have access to children (ha), based on my parental experience (which, in some ways, never ends), here are 11 top-of-mind simple suggestions…

• Take them fishing (see photo above, snapped today)

• Play ball—any ball, balloon, or stick will do

• Read books & stuff aloud daily, anywhere and everywhere

• Cook with youth; they still love knives!

• Practice routine bedtimes

• Bed means no media. No media in the room. Period!

• Participate. Sports, music, arts, clubs, classes…

• Give back—via church, volunteering, helping others

• Resist the urge to keep up with the Jones kids and their top-tier tech toys

• Set an example…by setting your own phone down loudly and often

• Take vacations and breaks and epic BreakAways.

I hope anyone who cares makes their own list. And lives by it (is life on screens even real life?). And be tough. After all, this crisis is a dang tough—and crucial—battle for the future.

This young explorer seems delighted to be in magical Carmel. Who wouldn’t be?

I snuck away for a late winter vakay last week. To charming, colorful Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the coast of NoCal. The weather did NOT offer that tropical glaze that we Northerners crave when winter won’t end. But the stunning beauty of the place quieted any complaining. As did the unique boutiques, the friendly folks, and the laid-back vibe.

My tech tools and toys took an overdue unplugged break, too…except of course for some irresistible pictures like this one.

Oh, to be a carefree boy once more, like this lad lost beside the sea. Then again, one often feels forever young when ambling a pristine beach and observing a fearless, curious seeker. A future BreakAway artist? No doubt!