Hello, World.

Please be kind. For some of us, this sort of exhibitionism is un-natural.

“This” is my blog—a word that always sounds to me like a three-dimensional burp. A noise your body makes when you’ve guzzled too much beer. (Don’t get any on ya…) And this is my first official blogpost. Sounds like funky body piercing.

The very thought of strangers reading my stuff makes me wince. Fortunately, I know better: 3 out of 4 blog readers are fellow bloggers, sniffing at each other (or so I’ve read). And most blogs get little attention in the crowded chaos and cacophony of the internet. So maybe there’s not much to worry about. And yet, maybe Link Love will save the world.

Still with me?

Hope so. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

LIKE…In 3 months, the next Sabbatical (a.k.a. BreakAway) begins. One-way air tickets will take us to St. John for about 17 days, and then…

LIKE…Where do we go from there? Could it be the Bahamas? Bermuda? Dominica? Grenada? Timbuktu? With some angst I must confess: I don’t know. Wasn’t it the late, great Donald Rumsfeld who once declared, “There are known knowns…There are unknown knowns…But there are also unknown unknowns.” Wow. How did he know? As for my troops, we just want to know…what are our marching orders?

That conversation has, at times, taken on a contentious, cocky tone that does NOT soothe the soul like a Sabbatical should. Sure, there are many options, but many more criteria and obstacles (known and unknown). Not to mention, the Caribbean is not exactly known for its easy transportation, affordable prices (on anything!), and transparency.

I mean, each and every island thinks of itself as an island unto itself. Island time rules, among other bizarre rules that take time to figure out. A ferry that runs “on the hour” may go awol, have a breakdown or mutiny, or take a week off for a holiday you’ve never heard of. Heck, there are countless languages, dialects, currencies, and chunks of sharp coral just waiting to slash and infect you during a simple snorkel outing. OUCH! No doubt: The planning is the hard part. Getting there is not always half the fun.

LIKE…What does one do with the feelings that arise now? You know: Fear, denial, panic, sticker-shock, nausea, family differences, what have ya. Wish I knew. Sometimes it sucks. I’m like, who needs THIS?

That all stated, we aim to go anyway. Or at least try. Having done this a few times before, I’m familiar with the emotional hurricanes that blow up about now. Good thing I’m much better as the years go by at managing such messes and stresses. HA!

• ODDS OF GOING: 55%
• TODAY’S BIGGEST BUTT: Cost—even a golf cart is $300/week in the Bahamas; airfare for one scenario just passed $8k (for cattle class, although in the islands you’re more likely to be seated with goats.)
• TODAY’S BIGGEST GROAN: The markets are sucking wind. How can one justify spending savings when those investments are worth less every day? Don’t postpone joy, sure, but on whose dime?
• TODAY’S BIGGEST INSPIRATION: It’s summer again here, and I want it to last forever. So remember: It does in the Caribbean!
• TODAY’S BIGGEST PROCRASTINATION: It’s summer again here, and I’m thinking maybe it will last forever (so we won’t need to go to the Caribbean!).
• TODAY’S PROMISE: A hot kayak ride at sunrise leaves a guy splashed with bliss and vinegary sweat.