Well, shiver me timbers! Not only is the world not flat, but this fabulous couple has logged (or should I say “blogged?”) enough travel to know. Try this site—if you need some inspiration, or feel like your get up and go has gotten up and gone.

Know what else is cool? They just do it. They don’t babble about BreakAways, preach about imbalance, or drone on about debt. Oh sure, they’ve got something to sell there. But they’ve got to find some way to fund their next Big Break, eh?

The Pre-Socratic Pythagoreans were wrong! The world is round; no more excuses about staying put cuz you might fall off the face of the earth! Moreover, travelmates are everywhere! We are not alone!

BlogStar Seth Godin today writes about the need to attract—and retain—top talent. As he puts it,

“It only takes 10% as much effort to hire someone in the bottom 90% of the class. And it takes the other 90% to find and cajole and retain the top 10%.”

Don’t mean to repeat myself—or to beat a dead Horsted—but once you get those four-star performers, and they stay and keep giving moremoremore, give them a BreakAway now and then. If there is a better way (beyond mere pay) to keep key people, please tell me all about it.

My 2-person corporation would love to know. After all, we constantly seek ways to prevent an exodus of crucial, if crotchety, stakeholders.

Exxon made $15 billion in profit for Q3, so reports the AP (and all news sources) today. Q3: You know, that’s when we all were enjoying taking road trips with friends, or to the reunion, or to the cabin up north—while paying north of $4 a gallon.

Ain’t that America? When the little people (albeit often in their big vehicles) want to have some fun, the Big People find a way to make it hurt. $15 billion. That’s just nuts.

• $15 billion would provide 1.5 million people $10,000 seed money to start their Sabbatical.
• $15 billion would transform the economies of countless poor nations.
• $15 billion could provide the start-up funds for dozens and dozens of smart companies developing alternative energies.
• Heck, $15 billion could transform Exxon into oil + alterna giant—that is prepared for the future, when the oil runs dry.

But that’s not the way Exxon works. They are very used to making profits; one could almost say they’re addicted to it, like drivers are addicted to gas. Check out this AP factoid:

“If one-time gains like bankruptcy settlements and spinoffs are stripped away from other companies, Exxon Mobil owns the record for the top 10 most-profitable quarters for a U.S. company, as well as the largest annual profit.”

Yes, it’s true. In the previous quarter (Q2), Exxon made (only) $11.68 billion, the second-largest profit ever. For those of us watching our pennies and trying to save for a vacation, a BreakAway, or retirement, we have three reaction-options: Buy the stock; refuse to hold the stock (on moral grounds); Go for a ride (maybe on your bike) and don’t think too much about it.

I like the third option. Shift gears, let capitalism do its wild, funky thang, and ride on.

Uh-oh. Drop me in the shallow waters before I get too deep…

One of my teachers recently prescribed homework, and it included a chapter from the book, A Path with Heart:  A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life, by Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield’s book, A. 

If you are in the mood, please give this passage a read…

“It is possible to speak with your heart directly. Most ancient cultures know this. We can actually converse with our heart as if it were a good friend. In modern life we have become so busy with our daily affairs and thoughts that we have forgotten this essential art of taking time to converse with our heart. When we ask it about our current path, we must look at the values we have chosen to live by. Where do we put our time, our strength, our creativity, our love? We must look at our life without sentimentality, exaggeration, or idealism. Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?”

Having just written about the costs (non-financial) of Breaking Away, this excerpt arrives like a sunbeam at dawn this morning. At the 49-day Countdown, it’s darn easy to get all hot and bothered about why NOT to go. But what about the costs of skipping this blessed chance? Mr. Kornfield speaks to that.

BTW, one must be careful of this sort of self-help inspiration stuff. It can lead to painful shoulder shrugging and eyeball rolling. Then a dodgy desire for more. Then yoga, meditation, classes, teachers, sunrise rituals, and more. Been there, doing that.

It can be corny, but often effective. Rather like religion. Which, according to R.E.M., most of us have lost.

Yoga by the lakeshore: Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. I thank the heavens; my body thanks me. The candles show the light until the sky starts to glow. Then, the sunrise is most awakening and stunning—today, anyway. Sometimes it’s even better than sleep.

What about these matters of the heart? What about “heart?”—a word so overused and Hallmark-abused that this writer dares not to type it often. Yet without IT, we can become, “So busy with our daily affairs and thoughts that we have forgotten this essential art of taking time to…?” Fill in the blank. Taking time to…

A sabbatical is, at its best, taking time to let the heart speak. To shut up and listen—to feel the beat. To follow its request list. To pay attention to your mates as their heartbeats take voice.

It’s a time to dance wide-eyed into the great mysteries and, with any luck, make discoveries both childish and profound. Could be as simple as building a sandcastle with your kids. Or trying new foods. Or making music. Or just stepping out of the distraction-laden routine to follow wherever your heart may lead you.

Okay. Enough of that. There’s work to do, whether my heart is in it or not. But soon soon, that work will more resemble my Life’s Work.

Come along! (Or get the hell out of the way…)

• ODDS OF GOING TODAY: 75%

Lest anyone think that taking a big BreakAway is merely a financial expense, let me assure you that is only the beginning.

Today, as I try to calm my brain before bed, it keeps brooding over that list. It looks something like this…

• Work income mostly stops
• Work upon return is exponentially more uncertain
• Most living expenses (mortgage, etc.) don’t take a break
• The kids’ will miss out on school, sports, activities
• The cat will bum out
• Alluring job opportunities for this winter have been turned away
• Any Bad Thing (injury, illness, theft) could ruin days
• Family disharmony could too
• Coming home (to much winter) may be depressing

Is it any wonder most people don’t do this sort of thing? I mean, even people with money, freedom, or audacity may have more common sense. HELP!?!

• ODDS OF GOING TODAY: 55%

2 fishermen just leisurely floated by, both on cell phones.

Ish! Even guys who fish?

But of course. Often these days while I toil in the office or gardens, I hear some booming male voice drifting over the lake. One response might be, “You tawkin’ to me?” But they never are. They’re usually on their cell phone. 2 dudes in this case. Yapping at someone somewhere else—rather than to each other. Just like teens on a date.

Usually, I’m happy to see guys fishing nearby, even though they sometimes stare and refuse to wave. (My office sits on the shore of a nice fishing hole.) Visiting friends say, “Don’t you get tired of those guys hanging out right there?” I reply,

“Nah, they’re mellow. It’s their Zen—and their lake too.”

Plus, it brings back happy memories of dads and grandpas.

What is fishing if not an exercise in patience, persistence, mystery, and hope? Is it not a mini-Sabbatical? 9 out of 10 fisherpeople say yes!

Could it be a mini-Sabbatical?  A sanity break?

(Never mind that they also say, or should I say yell, into cell, stuff like, “Hey Rich, so what’s goin’ on?” and “How ‘bout them Vikings yesterday?” and “Truck fixed yet?”) Banal stuff, most on-deck cell phone chats, eh?  

The fishing pros who win contests need no cell phones. Depthfinders and fishfinders, sure. But beyond that, going UnPlugged is good. Silence never scares the fish away—no matter what you’re fishing for.

But who am I to judge? We are a nation—nay, a world!—of talkers.

At least they’re out there, making the time to BreakAway and float a bit…

How quickly things change.

Islands now in play: 10? 12? 55? Interesting options have arisen on many now, some large and some small. Grenada and the Grenadines (an archipelago of many isles) probably remain the top choice. But a new rental opportunity—one that’s hard to refuse—has come from Dominica. So that’s back in the running. Didn’t I write that off several days ago?

Be careful what you blog about!

St. Vincent looks alluring. Bequia (near St. Vincent) is calling. Carriacou (near Grenada) has some nice possibilities. And the flight home leaves from San Juan, so we’ll need to spend some time there before heading home—not only to see that American gem, but to break up the trip from way down near Venezuela to way up near Canada.

Of course, there are more outer islands near all of these—boat, ferry, sail, or swim. Yet I know my bias (especially with not enough days and 2 charming children, AllBoy & CurlyGirl) is to hunker down in one place, or maybe 2, but not more than 3. I am neither a pirate nor a Caribbean nomad. It’s better to make friends, get to know a place, and stop running around like bizzee Americans for a while.

I’m wondering if we’re being indecisive. But I’m not sure. Meantime, it’s sure swell to have options.

• ODDS OF GOING TODAY: 85%

Survey sez: 

• 83%: Percentage of Americans who say spending time outdoors makes them feel refreshed, healthy, and excited.
• 61% Percentage who say they don’t take enough advantage of the restorative powers of nature.
• Source: Edelman

There’s a reason why most Sabbaticals for this clan happen during the November through March period: Winter. Too young to make “winter” a verb. Too old to see the 6 months of winter roundabout as one big happy snowman.

What’s the biggest flaw of winter? The challenge of playing—heck just being—outside. And as the survey says, spending time outdoors makes one feel refreshed, healthy, and excited.

Then again, for many people—especially those who work indoors (often without windows) and commute several hours a week—getting outside is difficult in the best of circumstances. A lunchtime walk can work wonders. But a week at the lake or woods or ocean can work miracles.

Imagine what several months focused on natural splendor can do.

Are you spending enough time outside? Am I? No, I’m not. I’m too busy working. Planning. And blogging. On that note, good-bye. I’m heading into the great wild yonder I call my backyard…

Survey sez:

• 93% Percentage of leaders who think retaining key employees is even more important during an economic downturn than it is in a robust economy.
• 68% Percentage of companies that maintain a list of key employees they need to retain.
• Source: PDI

Attention: It’s the retention!

In survey after survey, employees say that it’s the little things—like Sabbaticals, family leave programs, and flextime—that matter most when it comes to job satisfaction.

Sadly, most can’t get no satisfaction. Because too many corporations and Daddy Warbucks types get all greedy when it comes time to make people happy. Too bad. Because people who LIKE their jobs often don’t mind working 55-hour weeks. That’s especially true if they know that after, say, 7 years, they get few months Big Break.

In a downturn, it may seem silly to worry about retention. Won’t most people just stay put rather than risk being jobless? Well, no. Good employees think long-term. And good employers are always on the hunt.

So what’s a great way to make people want to stay? Reward them for staying. That means pay, bonuses, perks, and bennies, of course. But moreso, it also means time off.

Stay here 7 years and meet a few other conditions, and we’ll let you take some time to chase a dream, learn something new (perhaps even job-related) and come back refreshed and ready to get back to work.

This article from a week ago, by WSJ’s Sue Shellenbarger (the hardest working woman in work/life balance) came to my attention today. It’s worth a read, and a comment.

To summarize in a word: Bummer. Recessions are not only bad for portfolio values, but also family values, it appears.

People cling to their jobs during rough times. They also take jobs beneath them, and are forced to find new ways to pay the bills.

This is nothing new, as the article states:

“Data from past recessions tell the story. The proportion of people working part-time by choice fell in the recessions of the early 1980s, the early 1990s and 2001. And although the percentage of at-home dads among married-couple families rose in the 2001 recession, that turned out to be an economic blip — caused mostly by heavy layoffs among men. The ‘trend’ waned when the economy recovered.”

Dang. Call me the world’s first Masculist, but it often seems that women have made more strides in creating life choices than men. Sure, pinstriped (and sometimes pinheaded) men still rule politics, Wall Street, and more. But women keep making progress, and expanding their menu of possibilities.

Men do too, but not so much. There is still a stigma of shame or shirk that greets stay-at-home dads. And they are about as rare as, well, female senators. I ought to know. Despite a flexible but infinite workload at all times, I know what it’s like to be the only dad among gaggles of women picking up your kid at daycare, preschool, school, sports, and the like.

One can be completely left out of the invitations for playground meetups and coffee klatch—to say nothing of Tupperware and Avon parties (or whatever women sell to each other at such events these days). Some assume I’m a single (divorced) dad—taking my turn in the custody turnstile. (There IS a lot of that.)

But back to family (and other) values. For the record, YES, it’s very hard to spend the money we’re about to spend right now; many a family skips the vacation, daytrip, or movie night when the economy sours.

In my case, 2 Heads is a little business that sits very low on the food chain, and gets punished (if not vaporized) during recessions. Freelance creative consultants rarely seem indispensable. So it can take years to grow billings back to where they once were. And by then, it’s about time for another recession, right?

But for us, it’s rather now or never. An alignment of times—our kids are both in elementary school, and their teachers and principal have kindly issued extended “hall passes” that (some say) will not be so forthcoming in middle school, when advanced placement discipline hits.

Economic slump or no, this much I do know: A crucial goal to shoot for in life is to NOT let economics and crashes and things affect day-to-day OR big-picture plans. Maybe that goal is achieved simply by running away in this case. Plug your nose and go. After all, when is there ever a perfect time for anything?

I’ve been an aggressive investor in equities since 1984 (mostly stock mutual funds, nothing too fancy or short-term). So like all who’ve held stocks: Been there, seen that. I’ve lost many a night’s sleep to shrinking numbers. It didn’t help. It pays to take on less risk as you grow older (and richer), learn from mistakes, and test your risk tolerance—again and again and again.

Or as one rich old right-winger once told me: The more you have to conserve, the more conservative you become.

As the article suggests, pumpkins and bonfires don’t cost much, and can bring more fun and meaning than a day yachting. Maybe people learn to simplify—and enjoy the simple pleasures—during downturns. Bring on the apple pie. Homemade (it’s cheaper!).

We still have an amazing standard of living here in the U.S.A. We still have more housing space per-person than ever. We know that what goes up must come down…and what goes down usually bounces back.

As my Grandma always said,

“It’s not so bad we are off.”

She ought to know. She and my Grandpa homesteaded in South Dakota in the teeth of the Depression. There probably weren’t any stock portfolios, or even salaried jobs, but there was always plenty of fresh jam, home-grown meals, and yes, apple pie as a family at their farm.

Restore family values: Be together. BreakAway together.