In the 139 days since I’ve been back from our latest BreakAway, I’ve noticed some shifts and differences in my mindframe and routine.  Here’s a quick list of 11:

Post-BreakAway I…

• Care less about my home (for better and worse).
• Care less about the kids’ activities—playdates, sports, school. 
• Feel more independent, in too many ways to mention. 
• Feel more attached to a larger (if often invisible) world. 
• Hear inner voices more clearly (but haven’t yet gone completely nuts).  :  ) 
• Made some not-profound discoveries:  Sleep more; play guitar; read daily. 
• Know for sure that few things can compete with sun, exercise, rest, and nature for offering inner peace and calm. 
• Confirmed that the fewer clothes I have to wear, the more free I feel. 
• Believe more passionately than ever in Unplugging; now if only my family…
• Love street culture; islanders hang out a lot, whereas Minnesotans only do in the summer. 
• Get hit hard by the “go-homes” after a BreakAway—but it’s not only worth it, it’s a big part of the personal growth equation. 

Do you like music?  Noise?  Convivial gatherings and raucous laughter?  Me too.  But on the other hand, I’m finding that silence and solitude make my playlist more and more as the years go by.  For this week’s BreakAway BreakThrough, I’m here to remind you to take time out to listen to that little voice within—the one that says things like, “Take it easy,” “Take a break,” and “BreakAway—someday.”  

BABT3: The Silence Treatment… 11 ways to tune in, turn on and peace out

• Find a place—and time of day—to meditate occasionally…after lunch?  Before bed? 
• Sit outside with your eyes closed; hear the birds and feel the breeze. 
• Thoughtstreams rarely stop, so give them short notice and then let them float away. 
• Contemplate one word or idea that you’re trying to increase in your life. 
• Eat in peace:  Savor every flavor, feel the freshness, and bask in gratitude. 
• Lie down and do a “body scan,” in which you slowly feel all body parts from toe to head. 
• If you fall asleep easily, keep your eyes open slightly and stare at something soothing.   
• If “Buster” (that jerk in your head) is barking, beat him back with with an upbeat stick. 
• Unplug before bed:  Turn off all media, digitalia, and people a half-hour before sleep. 
• Walk alone on a country road, a frozen lake, a secluded beach, or a green hill. 
• Expect one insight—whether profound or banal—and ponder it as you re-enter the noise.

 Do you have any favorite zen suggestions–or BreakThrough tips to share?  Leave a comment please!

As we continue this series about finding little ways to find free time—and inch yourself closer to a bona fide BreakAway—today we propose you do drop in to the occasional pub.  Or coffee shop.  Or joint of your choice.  The idea is to see something new, rustle up that wanderlust feeling, and maybe meet someone whose story inspires you to get up and go. 

Oh sure, there may be risks, calories, and drinking involved.  But whoever said that scheming a Sabbatical should be a lifeless chore? 

BABT2:  Pub Tour…with 11 ways to shake it up—and get you stirred

• Visit “the local,” the place nearest your home—especially if you’ve never been there. 
• If you meet your barstool neighbors, ask them about their favorite trips or travels.
• Have your spouse or friend blindfold you and take you someplace new; remove it when seated. 
• Get into Happy Hour; see who gathers then and savor the savvy discount. 
• Try a place with curious cultural ties—in a theater, movie house, or ethnic eatery. 
• Mosey on into a VFW or Legion; elbow up and listen to war stories (and say thanks). 
• Stop in an airport bar—or some tavern near the bus, train, or other travel hub. 
• Meet a friend who just returned from a trip; shut up and listen to the tales.
• Find an establishment that somehow symbolizes somewhere you’d like to go—Spanish tapas bar?  Curry restaurant?  Anyplace named The Nomad? 
• Order “the unusual,” or whatever gives you a taste of something altogether different.
• Take a short road trip to a small town; wander the streets and tap that faraway feeling.  

Do you have any watering hole wisdom–or BreakThrough tips to share?  Leave a comment please!

If you’re looking for ways to slow down and savor your free time, check in every Friday (or so) for the forthcoming series:  55 BreakAway BreakThroughs (BABT).  We’ll offer one simple, symbolic suggestion that might bring enjoyment or inspiration—and get you one step closer to your radical Sabbatical. 

BABT1:  Sunday Supper…with 11 possible courses of action

• Have friends and family over, and make everyone collaborate in the kitchen.
• Join hands before the feast and sing, pray, or read something stimulating. 
• Take yourself out for a nice, solo dinner; bring a journal and capture some thoughts. 
• Eat early, then watch a meaningful movie, documentary, or travel program. 
• Go to an exotic ethnic restaurant and neighborhood; shop or wander before or after. 
• Call a long-lost acquaintance; better yet, write them a letter by hand and send it snail. 
• Create the healthiest meal possible that still tastes great and feels indulgent. 
• Cook up a big batch for leftovers; spend less time cooking next week. 
• After dinner, play music or games; make art or a decadent dessert (big banana split?). 
• Get out your BreakAway journal and jot down some ideas about where, when, and how. 
• Leave the kitchen (and whole house?) clean, organized, and ready to start the week fresh. 

Do you have any favorite Sunday evening rituals–or BreakThrough tips to share?  Leave a comment please!

Some of my more devout readers have been saying, “Hey, Horse:  How come you don’t write much personal, emo-navel-gazing stuff lately, like you did before your BreakAway and while you were in the islands?”  Good question.  Maybe the answer is:  None of your business!

But that’s not nice, nor is life so simple.  So let’s dig deeper for 11 tidbits–and TakeAways–about my spiritual (?) post-Sabbatical life of late–an appropriate activity for my favorite day of the year, the Summer So(u)lstice.

• Since coming back from the islands, life has resumed its kid-centric crazy-busy ways; this is my brilliant, yet often banal life, and I know many folks need not hear about it.
• My feelings about that life and sked?  On good days (and seasons), it’s the bomb.  On bad days (and seasons), it’s the other bomb—that threatens to explode me, inside out. 
• About BreakAways, before:  The most challenging yet motivating time is the prep and planning; one lives, reacts, and writes from the gut.
• About BreakAways, during:  That’s the fun part—full of inspiration and life-changing moments (that may or may not matter in a matter of months). 
• About BreakAways, after:  Sorry, it can suck.  Finding the new balance, leaving the thrills and hopes, getting a new (old) groove back; but YES, it’s so worth it.
• About BreakAways, much after:  So now I’ve been back 4.5 months; life is good and summer is bliss, and somehow the Island BreakAway lives on inside like a happy secret. 
• BreakAway TakeAway #1:  Time with kids while they’re still kids is the best gift around me right now, and I intend to bask and glow and grow in it. 
• BreakAway TakeAway #2:  Sitting alone staring at water still soothes the soul. 
• BreakAway TakeAway #3:  When I’m feeling dejected, I remember Islanders I got to know who, it seems, never let much get them down, and feel better. 
• BreakAway TakeAway #4:  Everything is temporary; that’s not always welcome news, but does much to force faith in the flow of life—or else what? 
• BreakAway TakeAway #5:  The past plays a big role in who we are—so packing your years with exciting escapades can be a great way to lead a rich inner life. 

This thoughtful commentary puts a nice philosophical spin on the rough time college grads are having finding good work.  It’s a bummer, I know:  Unemployment was around 10% when I graduated in 1983.  But now as then, life goes on.  And while few of us got career starts ASAP, we all survived and, frankly, may have had more fun.  And Zen. 

Writer Brian Till points out that less than 20% are finding jobs now, down from 51% in 2007.  The flip side?  Applications for Teach for America and the Peace Corps are way up.  And young people can consider options (and careers) for criteria other than fast-tracked financial success…

As Till sums it up,

It has given them the unapologetic opportunity to take on anything available without shame or the imperative that it be part of a broader, meticulously mapped future. For many, I contend, it might be a blessing in disguise, even a liberation.”

That’s BreakAway thinking.  Go for a life- (and world-) changing experience while you can.  The cube farm will wait. 

Gretchen Rubin is generating quite the buzz with her “Happiness Project.”  And in this HuffPost blogpost, she asserts that reliving happy memories from the past is one small secret that happy people share.  I so agree.  And remind you that taking a BreakAway is a sure way to ensure that your past is packed with joyful experiences worth revisiting.

Here are a few Rubin blog quotes + a comment…

Philosophers and scientists agree: if there is one element that is the key to happiness, it’s having strong relationships with other people.” 

• True that, and going somewhere new allows you to meet all kinds of new people—and cut straight to honest chat; how cool to have friends from all over the world. 

Remembering happy times in the past is a great way to boost happiness in the present.” 

• Life can become a busy grind and the days can blur; just stepping away from the grindstone makes those times stand out. 

I keep a one-sentence journal.” 

• Indeed, one essential Sabbatical Suggestion is to log your BreakAway.  You pay better attention, and have something to spark the memory.  Why not live that way every day?  

Sure, a BreakAway pushes you into the Here and Now in a way that the daily routine can’t match.  But when it’s over—and you’ve had to go home again—you remember that day surfing the wave, baking the bread, or hiking the mountain forever.  Those things change you, and the rich reminiscences only appreciate over time.  And that’s a happy thought indeed.