The year is already 5% done, with January more than half over. Here in the Polar Vortex, we couldn’t be happier; only four more months till the tulips poke up. Oh well, every day holds a little mystery and magic, right? If we can’t get down and dirty in the garden, we can always try to find fish under the ice. Here are some more ways to keep it real this year…

5 More Ways to Keep it Real

1. Don’t order it, cook it. Did you know Americans now spend more money on prepared foods than home cookin’? Yep. We’ve reached the tipping point—and that includes on our bathroom scale. Let’s get out of line and back into the kitchen.
2. Go whole, not hacked. Those food factories love to slice, dice, mince, and mash the ingredients (and flavors and colors and preservatives) til you’re not really sure what you’re tasting—and the label reads like a chemistry experiment. Want good taste? Grill salmon. Steam some rice. Chop a fresh salad. Your body will thank you.
3. Journal more, post less. Caution: Journaling may lead to navel-gazing. But posting may lead to narcissism. Private pondering made Shakespeare, Kierkegaard, and Woody Allen great. SM fixations usually lead to Silly Mundaneness.
4. Don’t just “like,” appreciate. Our ability to express approval has been reduced to little clicks of “likes,” a thumbs-up icon, or (if you’re really lucky) a smiley face. Want to make someone’s day? Show and tell them how much you appreciate their assistance, kindness, and unconditional “like.”
5. Slow down, stay longer. Manpower Group recently reported that 69% of North Americans didn’t use all their vacation time last year—for the third year in a row. What’s more real: Your job or your free time? Hey! Go away! And when you get there, hunker down and sit a spell!

Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one by making it real.

Today’s stumbled-on stat is that 93% of US adults will set a New Year’s resolution for 2014, and 54% of them will be health-related.*

That’s good. We’d all have a better year with improved eating, sleeping, and exercise. But as I stare at the screen, I resolve to stare less at screens and seek what’s real instead—and reckon that would help both health and mental health.

5 Ways to Keep it Real

1. Say it, don’t text it. Texting’s passive-aggressive patterns can work well for quick or witty bits. But hearing someone’s voice—or seeing their face—brings bigger smiles.
2. Skip the selfie. Oh sure, you could take another picture of yourself to show your online “friends.” Or…you could photograph real friends and family whenever you gather.
3. Look long-term. Speaking of pics, the trend is all about take, post, check “likes,” and hurry on to the next shot. Here’s an idea: Get a quality camera and shoot lasting memories.
4. Make plans. Social media ups the spontaneity potential. But it can also lead to nowhere. Sometimes living for the day beats living for the moment.
5. Don’t go out, hang out. Most folks love to spend money—at the mall, the concert, the game, the eatery. But what about chillin’ with best buds? Priceless!

That’s enough for today, since one goal for the year is to seek attainable intentions. But since the year’s turn offers a great chance for reflection and is a holiday the whole world agrees on, perhaps a Part Two will be in order…

* Ipsos Public Affairs

Like many of us, my lists have lists—and my journals have journals. Any more, the “journals” come in myriad forms: notebooks, tablets, folders, docs, and even crumpled Post-its. Atop that proverbial pile sits boxes of photos, a virtual terabyte of iPhoto pics, and online stuff; all tell more stories. It’s enough to make a guy give up and just keep the thoughts to myself.

But then something happens. You see your kids journaling—without prompt. You stumble on an old entry that strikes up a memory like a forgotten, favorite song. You realize the archetypal beauty of just plain writing, and then find a “clip” like this one, from Fast Company, entitled The One Easy Daily Habit that Makes Life More Awesome…

So ponders writer (and lifetime journaler) Laura Vanderkam. She describes her on-again/off-again relationship with journaling and maintains that doing so boosts one’s gratitude and happiness quotient; she even says science backs that assertion!

Some of us don’t know much about science. But we do know this: You almost always feel a little better when you sit a spell and write about the roses. Blossoms don’t last forever; memories do. But only if we find a way to preserve them for later. Try a gratitude journal, suggest Vanderkam and Fast Company. Gratitude is great, I agree, but I say let it all air out.

• So many media, so little time?

Perhaps the biggest problem these days is deciding which platform will best house your reflections. Does writing on computer count? What if your computer loses ITS memory? Is Facebook a journal? What about Twitter and Instagram? A blog? Is it a personal journal at all if you’re sharing it for others to LIKE?

How might one ever compile all this information into a, say, book? Is it possible? If so, who has time?

Well, we all do. We’re all equally rich with time, and what better use of that finite commodity than to cease the chase and put pen to paper?

• Too messy. Oak leaves last longer than parchment paper. Just when you finally finish spring cleanup, the trees start shedding again. Who enjoys raking? Nobody who has dozens of old trees within earshot.
• Too much schoolin’. Biggest buzzkill in the world? BTS. No, wait: Getting a 9-5 (which might mean 7a-10p) job after college; that’s worse. Here’s a great education that you never forget: Hopping the wrong train when somewhere far away, and ending up exactly where you’re meant to be.
• Too much indoors. Outside feels open, expansive, easy—and the less clothes, the better. Fall puts the clothes back on and the walls in charge.
• Too dark. 9-21 means the first day of fall, and the first day of darkness impending. Not until six months later do the days get longer again. Fall marks the march into the winter solstice—a day to celebrate, but a lousy day to catch some rays.
• Too much change. The Beach Boys once sang about Endless Summer. But look what happened to them. Fall’s like a freak show that turns lithe youth into craggy spinsters. Around here, people put away their convertibles and dig out heavy parkas.

The good news is: Autumn offers the best season to leave—to somewhere new. This vagabond has caught trains, planes, and autos for extended BreakAways to everywhere from Florida to Italy and Milwaukee to Auckland.

Does autumn harsh your mellow? Fear not, and listen to those crazy voices within.

Maybe it’s a great time to do the wild thing…

“Meditation goes mainstream” shouted the headline in yesterday’s local paper. Then followed a lengthy article about the many benefits (some now proven by science!) and how the practice has become embraced by employers, schools, churches, and more. What timing: I finished my approximately-annual many-month class on meditation yesterday morning.

• Not your typical hobby

Meditation, which now also goes by other names including “mindfulness stress reduction” and “relaxation response” may not rank up there with golf and gardening as pastimes where those pursuing pleasantry go. But like yoga, countless too-tense individuals have added it to their repertoire to help pursue perspective, presence, and calm.

Let’s just call it an antidote to the many pressures to work and stay wired 24/7.

• Many paths lead there

The class I take meets for two hours, but features meditation for only a small part of the time. The rest of the time fills with directed conversation, readings, writing, and all kinds of exercises (mostly not physical). Our teacher comes from a long and strong Buddhist background. Our sessions might be called Zen Lite.

Indeed, sometimes the two hours pass with lightness—laughter and silliness. But often, people open up and you gradually learn why they are there. And it’s not always the CEUs; our circle always includes Kleenex alongside the flowers.

The list reads rather like a therapist’s calling card. Depression. Anxiety. Abuse. Perfectionism. Insomnia. Unemployment or financial failure. Divorce or estrangement. Serious injury. Chronic pain. Chem-dep or recovery. Death of a child, parent, or spouse. Fill in the blank.

Meditation and the other things we experience must help. Because rarely is anyone absent or late. No one leaves early. And like me, many people come back for more now and then.

• “In whatever form…”

It’s true: Many meditation styles have exacting rules on nuances like sitting positions, music or silence, light or dark, short or long, morning or evening, and so on. Fortunately, at least for us “advanced” students, our homework now suggests daily meditation “in whatever form.”

That means the practice might be done most anywhere, any time. It might be sitting in that pretzel position. Or it might be in a comfortable chair. Maybe it’s walking, or even lying down. In fact, she often uses my kayaking as an example. (Please don’t tell her I often wear headphones blasting Led Zeppelin.)

Meditation can go by many names, but my favorite is Relaxation. It’s what the locals practice like a religion on Caribbean islands. It’s what fans most crave when they watch a long baseball game. It’s why most everyone wants a back yard, patio, or park bench to hunker down on. It’s why some folks fish.

Whatever you call it, it’s what the world needs now.

The unusually cold May-Day skies were crying today—the last day I had the pleasure of teaching at College of Visual Arts (CVA).

After 89 years, this St. Paul arts school on historic Summit Avenue is shutting its doors. The grand mansion that has educated thousands of young artists has run out of time.

Life happens. And sh*t happens (never mind that I preach to my classes to avoid unsavory language in their college writing). Scores of students who thought they had their college career mapped out now face what makeyourbreakaway calls the Unplanned Career Break.

• Get outta here

It happens all the time. Folks get fired. Others face layoffs. Spouses flee. Families lose homes or must suddenly move away with little or no notice. Usually, such bombshells bring nasty ramifications, and some are just plain tragic.

But sometimes, a gnarly twist of fate can spiral into a hopeful destiny. After a semester of angst, all my students are either graduating or moving on to other colleges—new worlds of possibilities and promise. They’re too smart, too creative, and too resilient to let bad news stop their progress for long.

Heck, when I got fired once, I took the summer off. That summer became seven months long and was graced with sunshine, lake time, family and friends—and freedom from relentless stress that had been hitting 11 on the intense-ometer. That experience became my first Career Break, and the start of a paradigm shift of how I’d like to live and work. How I’d like to spend my time.

Soon after that unplanned Sabbatical came a new life partner, home, and career. Life since has been bursting with blessings, yet never without rude surprises. Sh*t still happens. Yet wonders always await. We can’t control which one shows up next.

• The only constant is change

When the news of CVA’s closing hit the streets, a sizeable community of teachers, students, staff, alumni, and supporters went into collective shock. The Powers That Be had concocted their scheme in absolute secret. Soon came the rage, the rallies, and an impressive attempt to save the school. But, no.

There are always more tears, I’ve been told. Some soon-to-be unemployeds are rightfully fretful. And some stakeholders are still raw with anger. But that’s not what I saw in my classroom today.

Students grinned, jotted me thank you notes, shook my hand, and told me to stay in touch. When I asked them about their plans for the summer, talents, and future education, each one offered a confident answer. They took their last test with focus and ease, and nary a hint of cheating. They posed for pictures in the hallway and lingered as if fully mindful that this is the final finals—that they are living history.

Indeed, it’s been like watching a surreal movie, I’ve been saying since the first scene—in which the faculty meeting that normally kicks off the semester morphed into a tense presentation by strangers in suits about “fiscal failure,” a “teachout” with a competing arts school, and “winding down assets.”

But it’s not a movie; you can’t make this stuff up. It just happens. Fortunately, there is no end to this story.

• To be continued…

That’s why the seniors chose for their theme, “To be continued…”  The senior gallery exhibit holds that title; ellipses in the school-color red are all over t-shirts, stickers, and FaceBook. Now that (pardon the pun) is classy!

I’m not here to teach,” I always say on the first day of class, “I’m here to learn.”

To the students and many good people who sustained 89 years of success at CVA: Thanks for all you taught me. And Godspeed.
Now carry on…

It’s never too late!

Look! Hark! Flickr has (finally!) uploaded the Tuscany 2012 mix!

Click and find yourself in Barga, Lucca, Pisa, Viareggio and more!

Be reminded of the dolce far niente…

Ciao!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

I just love this picture from last spring! Why? Let me count the (11) reasons why…

1. Baseball remains the most interesting, strategic, nonviolent game around.
2. My son, somewhere in this pic, got to play (or at least sing) center field for the Minnesota Twins. How cool is that!
3. He also got to be on the Mega Jumbotron. That’s almost as cool!
4. In high school, “cool” rules, perhaps to a fault. Yet here we have a bunch of cool boy-cats singing their hearts out. Hey, singing IS cool!
5. And so is the tradition of reverently singing the National Anthem before sporting events. It’s not the best song ever written, but still: God Bless America!
6. But back to cool, it’s now cold January here. So we can begin to count the (1000s of) hours til Opening Day.
7. Moments make memories. And for many, many of us, life has served few memories sweeter than winning the World Series (especially for we lucky ones who were there!).
8. Get active! Get in shape! Go outside! To this day, countless millions of people play baseball and softball for exercise, fresh air, and camaraderie.
9. Whereas other sports may use buzzers, horns, whistles, and even guns to commence, baseball kicks off with a blue man yelling, “Play ball!”
10. This website advocates lengthy career breaks, sure. Yet teeny-tiny breaks like an evening at the ballyard prove the priceless value of all escapism.
11. Someone once said about America, “Baseball is who we were; football is who we are.” Call me old-fashioned. But…take me out to the ballgame! Please!

Moments make memories.

When traveling, taking pictures can be one of the best ways to force yourself to be in the moment. You look harder. You wander bravely. You see more.

Taking a BreakAway—whether for three hours or three months—is all about collecting memories in what can otherwise become a speedy, blurry life. A summer in Tuscany may be remarkable. But sipping the vino locale with new local amici while watching the sun drop behind the mountains: That’s an indelible memory.

Yes, moments make memories.

This pic, which I snapped right in the subject’s face (something I usually shun), brings back the joy, mystery, and magic that is New Orleans. If a picture paints 1,000 words, this one also begs at least 10 questions…

1. Why, exactly, is that guy smirking?
2. Is he going to play that violin or just use it as a prop?
3. Where the hell did he get that dapper hat?
4. Is that girl embracing him, or pushing him away?
5. When did the streets of NOLA become car-free and tourist-packed?
6. What’s that girl on the left sipping out of her Big Slurpee?
7. What’s everyone smoking?
8. Why are most of the people so young?
9. Wasn’t N’Awlins oh-so banjo long before banjo was cool?
10. Why don’t we all go there more often?

A standing O goes to The Big Easy for recovering from their disaster(s) so beautifully. In an age when natural catastrophes are becoming all-too-common, that’s an inspiration to us all.

Mother Nature can kick ass. But the human body and spirit is strong too. I suggest you go to NOLA someday, and get a taste of her many supernatural sensations.

Fall hits like a splattering pumpkin in Minnesota. One fine morning, warm summer arms embrace you. The next, you’re slapped by sleet, biting winds and millions of dirty leaves. If you try to look up, you might see a sky more thick and gray than your Grandpa’s storm coat.

You can run—away—but you usually don’t. Snowbirds do, but they’re either lucky ducks or lucky retirees. The rest of us have bills to pay, kids to chauffeur, and chores to chase. Soon, we can add shoveling sh-now and driving on icy freeways to the dark-season grind.

Enter: These old shoes. I bought them in 1994 while away for a whole year of travel, during an idyllic four-month stay in Tuscany. They were purchased, despite a no-new-stuff-to-schlep pledge, to serve as “slippers” to protect me from our casa’s cold marble floors.

Exit: These old shoes. Some folks do spring cleaning; I’m working on an Epic Fall Purge. Possessions have grown like a fungus in my family’s world, and the piles are getting toxic. It’s like wearing a backpack that may bury you. That freewheeling, light feeling of travel has been lost in piles of clothes, toys, media, and much more.

So anything—everything?—is on the purging block. Eliminating stuff can seem like throwing out memories:  kids’ clothes and art and books and childhood playthings bring back countless once-in-a-lifetime memories. But sometimes, there’s just not enough room.

That goes, too, for these old shoes. They’ve lived in the sauna for the last few years—ready for that mad dash outside onto snow and ice and maybe even into the lake. But now they’re in the trashcan.

They’ve had a good life, and walked into as many memories as a shoe can. It’s funny—sometimes silly things like shoes become a favorite souvenir, while the high-design Italian flatware set left the building years ago.

But it’s time to move on. I hope the memories will live on without these old shoes.