• Vibes.  The energy, passion, and riddims on an island can be intoxicating—in a good way.  You hear the music all over, see the color (natural and human) everywhere, and feel it in the smiles (and stinkeye).  It can warm the soul like the sun.
• Chillaxin.  It took weeks to achieve a deep groove.  But at some point, staring out to sea became a legitimate pastime.  And relaxin’ became as natural as breathing.  Hours might float by with (at most) some reading, waterplay, and sandcastle-building to show for themselves.  For a change, such lack of productivity brought glee, not guilt. 
• All Friends No Enemies.  The Caribbean can be an in-your-face place.  It’s slow and polite, yet one must learn to bark a bit to settle something or just get attention (or privacy).  Dat’s awright; don’t make nobody no enemy.  After most confrontations, there was a soul-bump, a smile, and a better respect and understanding. 
• Blessed.  Spoiling one’s self and fam with 69 days of fun, sun, and exploring makes a guy feel truly blessed.  But the feeling also comes from the flip side of that:  Leaving friends, belongings, and creature comforts behind and learning that it takes precious little to feel well-off.  Folks in these third-world nations often act more blessed than suburban mall rats. 
• Vision. What’s vision?  Who knows?  Yet we know when we “see” it.  Vision comes from above and within.  Vision (moreso than money or guts) made this Sabbatical materialize.  Vision can make most things happen—and will make the next BreakAway happen, God willing. 

• Grenada is an isle of spice. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, of course. But “spice” also implies the zest, zeal, and color that Grenadians sprinkle into everything they do.

• Grenada is an isle of independence. With a population of only 100,000, they are one of the smallest nations in the western hemisphere. They take their autonomy seriously—supplying their own food, nurturing their culture, and taking care of their treasures.

• Grenada is an isle of beauty. Some of us just love sea, sand, and surf. But Grenada also offers mountains, rivers, waterfalls, cliffs, forests, plantations, farms, wildlife, grasslands, a volcano, and a rainforest. And that’s just the natural stuff!

• Grenada is an isle of compassion. In much of this world, entitlement and indifference fester. Here, not so much. People remain gentle, generous, and polite. Nothing is rushed, while moments are savored. It’s no wonder they’ve thrived through natural and political hurricanes. Grenadians openly talk about—and show—“love in their hearts.”

• Grenada is an isle of passion. How do you describe passion? Maybe you don’t, since it’s more of a visceral phenomenon—what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. I’ll really miss Grenada. But the extraordinary, exhilarating sense of life with passion: That’s what I’ll miss the most.

• “How the hell do you do it?”

• Money flows and money goes.

• And yet, work/life hackers are everywhere

• Franny and Isaac come from completely different places, and now live on his family’s Grenada farmland where they raise cabbages, make art, and live simply. 
• Native Grenadian Joan walks the beach selling her handmade dolls and colorful shirts.  She’s no pest:  She’s one of their genial “licensed vendors.”  If you like a pattern but she has no shirt in your size, she’ll make you one overnight—for US$20. 
• A Danish couple works hard running two movie theaters, but pulls their kids out of school to show them the world when the spirit moves them. 
• Andy and Rebecca live simply (as in, off the electrical grid) the warm season in Maine, where she’s an organic gardener and he’s a fisherman.  With kids now in college, they save enough to spend winters on their favorite island, where she sells her watercolors. 
• Two Swedes and their three kids manage school and careers, but think nothing of taking 22 days to sail across the Atlantic and to spend some months in the islands before they figure out how to store their boat here and return home. 

They’re everywhere—once you wander.  They’re my inspiration.  And I’ll miss being surrounded by them. 

• It’s so NOT about the money. 

• Frisbee.  Extraordinarily useful. Playing catch is uplifting and teaches about breezes.  Perfect as a plate; keeps food on-board for passing and is easy to clean.  Butt protector on wet sand.  Dice catcher for simple games.  Playspace for Polly Pockets.  Hip factor:  Symbolizes a cooler era, before digitalia sent us inward; is noncompetitive. 

• Swiss Army Knife.  Blades stay sharp and cut the cheese and anything edible.  Carves wood.  Mini-tools can fix things. Easy to cart and clean. Even has a plastic toothpick.  Hip factor:  Features bottle-cap opener and corkscrew.  (When a guest at a home that was missing its corkscrew, the Swiss became an international hero.) 

• Felt art board.  Found this little gem online before the trip, and what a Godsend it’s been.  It’s light, mobile, and creative as can be—even for parents.  Hip factor:  It’s handmade, which is way cool.  And it makes colorful art easy. 

• Sticks.  Yes, sticks:  My kids insist.  They find sticks—driftwood, seedpods, chop-sticks—and use them for drumming riddims, drawing in the sand, making things, or beating each other up.  Hip factor:  Drumming rocks. 

• Backpack.  Carries whatever you may need, like Frisbee, Swiss, water, paper, pen, sunscreen, meds, snacks, (sun)glasses, koozie, toys, cash, mini-poncho, and plastic bags (vital around rains and seas).  Good for packing camera without showing.  Can be secured to something to assist thief-proofing.  Hip factor:  You look like a savvy traveler.

• Local papers.  Buy them all; read them often.  Show stuff to the kids to help them understand we’re not in Kansas any more. Get a sense for what’s up with the locals; learn island politics and issues.  For example, Grenada and Cuba remain BFFs; taking pictures in St. Vincent is now legal; and St. John solves way less than 10% of their serious crimes every year.  Hip factor:  Conversations with locals can elevate immeasurably. 

• Snacks.  Kids these days.  Their appetites are less predictable than Minnesota weather.  They’ll turn up their nose at delicacies at mealtime, then insist on a PBJ later.  Often, a kitchen is not handy—nor a fridge.  So this backpacker prevents whining with a few small but filling things like apples, bananas, peanuts, crackers, cookies, and snack bars.  It’s a matter of survival.  Hip factor:  Your kids like you.

• iPod.  This trip has been decidedly under-mediated by design.  But the little iPod (and its big cousin, the portable speaker dock) has been a treat.  Sesame Street songs in headphones can save a 5-year-old when delayed in transit.  Speakers blasting Jimmy Cliff can bring the happy back into a sun-fried family’s pre-dinner hour.  Music bonds families, and radio is undependable at best on islands.  Hip factor:  May be the hippest thing, like, ever? 

• A deck of cards.  Can work miracles in tricky situations, to say nothing of providing just plain fun.  CurlyGirl can do sorting, number, and memory lessons.  AllBoy can learn strategic games.  The family can play.  Best adaptation:  Math-fact flash cards; just pick 2 cards, and do the math (multiply, add, subtract, or divide with fractions).  Hip factor:  Cards are cool—always have been, always will be. 

• Pass the Pigs.  A compact little game of chance, rather like dice, but better.  The game is fun and quick and easy.  The pigs make cute little toys for youngsters with imagination.  Hip factor:  Udderly original, and sure to attract any nearby Iowa tourists. 

• Pen and paper.  Instant amusement for children.  Essential for swapping vitals with new acquaintances.  Priceless for capturing fleeting ideas and keeping lists.  Hip factor:  You’re set when someone asks, “Got a pen?” 

• Shining Light
• No Hard Feelings
• Yes Jah
• Live On
• Always Decent
• Live Simply
• Vision
• No Stress
• Faithfull
• Vibes
• Stamina
• Sweet Heart
• 100% Grenadian
• Life Nice
• Unity
• Conscious
• Good People
• Just Simple
• Blessings
• Love is the Answer
• New Beginning
• Higher Level
• Next Level
• Jus Level
• Chilaxin
• Bless Up

• The sky is wide enough for a million stars.
• Who feels it knows it. 
• Rise to action.
• Positive feeling.
• Follow righteousness.
• God is Love.
• All Friends, No Enemies.
• All Right!
• You will never fail until you stop trying.
• Jah have a blessing for you.

• 1^st Place:  STAG  (pronounced:  STOG!)

• 2^nd Place: HEINEKEN  (pronounced:  I-nuh-KEN!)

• 3^rd Place:  HAIROUN (pronounced:  I-ROON!)

• 4^th Place:  CARIB  (pronounced:  CA-RIB)

• KPMG partners probably have more savings—and feel more secure about their eventual futures because of more experience and education. 
• KPMG employees likely don’t have a union, and thus work longer hours and more days, and may know burnout better and thus welcome time off. 
• KPMG folks may feel more loyal toward their company, having endured less change of late—and having obtained the coveted “partner” status. 
• Auto workers may fear their jobs just won’t be waiting for them, especially since Jaguar Land Rover is now owned by an Asian company that could gradually shift manufacturing to cheaper overseas plants. 
• Auto workers could suspect that their jobs are better, and better paying, than the positions they might end up in if they are terminated. 
• Jaguar Land Rover laborers have probably lived with lower salaries, and may not have much savings; in fact, they may be in debt situations where not working for 80% of their salary simply would not meet the debt load.

• In conclusion:  Great story, Ned.  Come back before February ends, and we’ll compare notes and local rums–on me.  And just for some extra theater, let’s have our last supper at Patrick’s.