Egrets? I’ve had a few. But few as lovely as this mesmerizing visitor last Sunday…

Like watching or listening to birds? Just do it! Articles keep flying around telling us that doing so reduces stress, increases your well-being, and makes the birds feel better about themselves too.  (That last part is a joke.)

Research confirms the idea. We learned it again for ourselves as we sheltered in place and had time for such during the pandemic. And this white egret proved it to me personally when out on the kayak with my daughter a few days ago.

Feeling overwhelmed? That’s a problem for the birds. So…Note to self: Put down the screen and go get groovy with your feathered friends outside!

The 9-5 weekday workweek is fading away like a fine drive.

Golf in America has been through many, uh, rounds. Up, down, in, out, back again. But since Covid, people are spending more time on the links than ever. And much of it is on weekdays—when workers used to wallow in cubicles, not strut on greens.

It brings new meaning to work/life hacking!

• Stanford study + geolocation proves the putt-point

Stanford and others have dug into the dirt on the golfing renaissance, with astounding findings like this…

• 278% more people are playing golf on Wednesdays at 4pm than before C-19

• In Cali, visits have almost doubled on TU, W, and TH

• Weekday rec goes beyond golf, and includes gyms, malls, tennis, hair, more

I remember golf booming—along with camping, bonfires, and other outdoor activities—during that lonely pandy period. Heck, I golfed plenty myself, and often with my children who were unexpectedly stuck at home. Heaven! (Even if my golf skills can include ill whiffs.)

But will this last, I wondered? Maybe so! Why? Because people are taking their time back!

• Daybreak trend soars beyond the course

Lisa M. Kreiger’s article (San Jose Mercury News) also tells of lunches, dates, bike rides, family outings, and more happening on what used to be strictly Company Time. We at BreakAway practically weep with joy (as opposed to our tears on the course) that folks are taking their shot at prioritizing what matters.

And guess what? The economy is doing just fine, thank you.

Have we really redefined that delicate but often brutal work/life balance scale?

“It’s the little things, like having lunch with my husband on the back patio.”

~ Tina, Project Manager

• What goes around becomes a round (Insert eyeroll emoji)

Way back in history, like, maybe only 100 years ago, before the industrial revolution (and later, the corporation/office-obsession explosion), people got their work done on their own schedules and terms. Think: Farmers. If that’s really happening again, we BreakAway mavens may be out of work soon.

Except…most people still work too hard and too often hit their most coveted long-term travel dreams into the rough. So we’ll keep preaching what we practice. And practicing what we preach.

Getting your life back? Good for you. Wanna escape to Thailand for 3 months…maybe check out their golf courses?

Hey, you’ve gone from all-day sales meetings to teeing off on Tuesday afternoon. So why not give it a shot!?!

Lovely murky sunset over Lake Okoboji, courtesy of Canada and their wildfires.

Are we living in the end times? Hell, yeah. I thought that those of us of a certain age would take a spaceship to Heaven before all that. But any more, it’s hard to find any good news about planet destruction slowing down. It’s too damn bad. Cuz this place was Eden, and bazillions of innocent species do not deserve to be wiped out. Humans do, though; we’re the intelligent ones. And look what we’ve done with all them smarts.

My personal thanks to those who still think global warming (a better label than ‘climate change’) is a hoax. And to the cultures who don’t give a hoot about overpopulation. But let’s minimize the anger, enjoy the pretty sunsets that vital getaways provide, and drink a toast to, well, Planet Toast. While we still can.

Cheers!

Skip the Apple store and ditch the iPhones. Take your kids fishing, swimming, hiking, singing, gardening… 

Seems like this story should be older than dial phones by now. Still, when a ‘public advisory’ hit Tuesday that social media poses risks for children, we knew the quiet controversy had hit the top. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated that policy makers, tech companies, researchers, and parents need to “urgently take action.”

While admitting that SM can have benefits, the warning nonetheless includes that “there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” The report also cites evidence that the developing brain may undergo changes—not good ones.

The American Psychological Association also declared its first SM guidance this month. Unfortunately, the responsibility for any changes ultimately falls primarily on parents. And having experienced endless education debates in which some arguers insist that all kids’ problems should be fixed by the parents, well, know that such simplistic approaches don’t work. Parents are busy, stressed, sometimes separated, and of course too obsessed with their own phones.

Our children have become unknowing participants in a decadeslong experiment.

~ U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy

The report is disturbing. Pile this on top of virtual pandemics of youth anxiety and depression (no doubt related), and there’s much to worry about.

But what can we do? Besides worry? If you have access to children (ha), based on my parental experience (which, in some ways, never ends), here are 11 top-of-mind simple suggestions…

• Take them fishing (see photo above, snapped today)

• Play ball—any ball, balloon, or stick will do

• Read books & stuff aloud daily, anywhere and everywhere

• Cook with youth; they still love knives!

• Practice routine bedtimes

• Bed means no media. No media in the room. Period!

• Participate. Sports, music, arts, clubs, classes…

• Give back—via church, volunteering, helping others

• Resist the urge to keep up with the Jones kids and their top-tier tech toys

• Set an example…by setting your own phone down loudly and often

• Take vacations and breaks and epic BreakAways.

I hope anyone who cares makes their own list. And lives by it (is life on screens even real life?). And be tough. After all, this crisis is a dang tough—and crucial—battle for the future.

This young explorer seems delighted to be in magical Carmel. Who wouldn’t be?

I snuck away for a late winter vakay last week. To charming, colorful Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the coast of NoCal. The weather did NOT offer that tropical glaze that we Northerners crave when winter won’t end. But the stunning beauty of the place quieted any complaining. As did the unique boutiques, the friendly folks, and the laid-back vibe.

My tech tools and toys took an overdue unplugged break, too…except of course for some irresistible pictures like this one.

Oh, to be a carefree boy once more, like this lad lost beside the sea. Then again, one often feels forever young when ambling a pristine beach and observing a fearless, curious seeker. A future BreakAway artist? No doubt!

Las Vegas is a love/hate destination. A place I’m excited to visit, and also happy to leave. 

Could there be any city anywhere that’s as entertaining and bizarre? People flock there like wild geese. Ginormous casinos and other-worldly attractions and major-league sports teams keep popping up, bringing yet more reasons to go and more humans to fill the bottomless void. So what happens in Vegas? I’d say…pretty much anything and everything!

But I’ll limit this travelog to a mere ~5 teasers of what I experienced. For now, at least, that’s quite enough.

• A son may show up!

Since my son plays football for the Las Vegas Raiders, I went to see HIM. And a game. Few feelings can compare to watching my little sportster perform on a stage like that with, oh, 80,000 of my best friends watching. Of course, the shock and awe of the violence hits me head-on, also—and he DID have a concussion this year, but was good-to-go for this game.

All to say, Daddies: Don’t let your babies grow up to be ballers. But if they do, keep cheering, coaching, and covering your eyes when necessary. As this was the last game, we had a blast for a few days after the season’s end. And indeed, we enjoyed both some touristy treats and some laid-back R&R.

• Surrogate sons may show up

What’s better than having friends you’ve known since childhood? Nothing really, except maybe gathering as a gaggle to root for one of your own on a faraway sports field. I’ve known these ‘boys’ since, well, babyhood in some cases. My thanks to them for letting me join the gang for all the partying and craziness. Yes, boys, I’ve still got it! (Whatever IT is…)

• You will see ostentatiousness that passeth all understanding

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? So out of respect for strangers I don’t know, I’ll admit I watched all, but will only tell some. Like…the dozens of beauty queens serving small ringside groups of rich fans nonstop treats (including these bottles of Dom). Like gussied-up groups emerging from larger-than-life limos to gamble their lives away. Like enough omnipresent security to trump the Secret Service.

Bright lights, big city? Blindingly so. Returning to a quiet hotel suite, thankfully, happens too, albeit at some absurdly late hours.

• You’ll experience attractions that dazzle and bedazzle

Who comes up with this stuff? Seriously, I want that job! Casino-resorts painstakingly modeled after Paris, Italy, and New York New York are just the beginning. Because within these mammoth structures are endless top-notch eateries, exclusive boutiques, blow-your-mind bars, and live entertainment that never sleeps.

Warning: Your eyes…and your brain…may explode. With glittery fountains.

• Cool stuff will surprise and delight

Stuff off the Strip happens in Vegas, too. And some of that may provide the best sight-seeing of all. The Freemont Street Experience—4 covered blocks of the original LV with a mind-blowing animation + light show on the ceiling—offers unique small(er) bars, limitless live entertainment (indoors and out), and a sense of history that’s an antidote to the sparkly new sprawl that has taken over.

Nearby, the Arts District brings a fresh, yet revitalized neighborhood packed with dozens of F&B establishments, thrift stories, galleries, boutiques, and buskers.

Also worth a mention: The uber-creative, hands-on attraction that comprises Area 15 (sampled in a recent post).

About Area 15: We cannot explain; you would not understand. So suffice it to say, when in Vegas…Go there! 

Would we say the same about Vegas…Go there? Hmmmm. I can think of, oh, 555 places I’d recommend first. Still, I know MANY folks who enjoy it, and fly there often. So yes, take that BreakAway and see for yourself.

You’ll have fun. Be wowed. And find yourself pondering did that just happen? for days to come.