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FOTOFRIDAY: One Day 2 Years Ago…

Posted on: Friday, February 2nd, 2024
Posted in: SoulTrain, FOTOFRIDAY | One comment

Embrace the spirals of nature. Fresh snow inspires fresh snow art.

I’ve made so many works of snow art that I have lost count, and can barely find them all in my enormous photo files. So when this one popped up when scrolling today, a distant cold day warmed my heart. Note the globe on top!

This year, we have no snow. The record-breaking warmth is pleasant and easy. But I do miss the bright white, the childish magic of playing in fresh white stuff, and making spontaneous snow creations. Climate change keeps getting freakier. So jump in the snow when you can. And of course…

Keep the faith.

Have Yourself a Lonely Little New Year

Posted on: Thursday, January 18th, 2024
Posted in: Unplugging | Leave a comment

Kayaking alone can be cool. Living and aging alone can feel more like slow drowning.

As a season, winter brings on more staring, sitting, pondering. So perhaps the squall of loneliness articles appearing all over is just cold coincidence. But maybe not. Without question, a storm of cultural shifts is causing folks to go it alone: Social media; screen dependence; political division; busy-ness; growing single statuses, more. It’s rather sad.

As a successfully sometimes-single person who previously spent decades giving my children wide wings (once we were done nurturing deep roots), I know the feeling of isolation. I also see it in my parents, people their age, and aging communities. These things REALLY become relevant when people are, like, disabled, dying, getting dementia, or unable to leave their residence.

Check out these headlines and subheads that recently fell in front of me:

  • Home alone: America’s crisis of isolation…Modern life downplays the importance of neighbors. (by Seth D. Kaplan, LA Times)
  • Where has community gone?…We need to interact with people different from ourselves. (by Kris Potter, of South Haven, MN)
  • Aging ‘Solos’ Need Support (by Katy Read, Star Tribune)
  • What a big difference small talk can make…Don’t be a stranger. Say something. (By Deborah Malmo, of Plymouth, MN)

I could summarize the articles. But the headlines rather speak for themselves and, frankly, it’s kinda distressing. Suffice it to say that this quiet, lurking issue will only worsen. People are living longer. The percentage of elderly living alone keeps growing. And the social hubs of the past (church, local cafes, family gatherings) keep decreasing in popularity and availability.

  • We, Robot?

Naturally, technology provides the problem yet sometimes a potential solution. An AP article by Terry Spencer details a “chatty” companion robot in testing mode that converses, “jokes, plays music, and provides occasionally inspirational quotes.” And…“leads exercises…gives reminders to take medications and drink water.” Host video calls and contact rellies and doctors? CHECK!

The thing sizes up like a small table lamp, yet remembers discussions, interests, and previous chats, whether about weather or … the meaning of life.

This professional unplugger recoils at such prophetic possibilities. And yet, if a cyborg can lessen loneliness, that’s a cautious sign of hope.

FOTOFRIDAY: A View from Vegas

Posted on: Thursday, January 11th, 2024
Posted in: Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Just another front-row selfie from an NFL game.

That’s yours truly—hanging (almost literally) out in Allegiant Stadium watching a LV Raiders game, just like last year. I am afforded such suite luxuries because my son plays on the team. The absurdity of Vegas (more soon) never sleeps. The mania of the NFL slams like a Maxx Crosby tackle. And the people watching everywhere tops gambling as a star attraction.

The stadium really is—REALLY is—futuristic and brilliantly entertaining. (Who needs a game!?!) Watching from up-close really is different (and way better) than watching on TV. And much to the raucous delight of the proudly outlandish fans, the home team won the last game of the season.

RAH!

FOTOFRIDAY: Happy (?) Solstice!

Posted on: Friday, December 22nd, 2023
Posted in: SoulTrain, Unplugging, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

This installment of the Snow Art Series is titled Solstice Rosy Sunshine.

Why the (?) in Happy Solstice headline? Well, lotsa reasons, including that the day is DARK, the weather can be frightful, and it portends the start of winter. Still, the day is full of hope and reasons to festivate. (Or just unplug and meditate.) Stonehenge was built 5,000 years ago by Solstice fans, and people throughout the N side of the globe have commemorated in countless creative (and sometimes shocking) ways since the Pagan days.

My 2023 commemoration stayed simple. Some sun-colored roses offer reminders of brighter days ahead, while taunting a frozen (and slippery!) lake for a backdrop. Fortunately, the day was unseasonably warm enough to assure that the roses survived the photo shoot unscathed—though I was prepared for them to become sacrificial blooms.

They’re inside now. The earth has tilted. And we’re only 6 months til the longest day…and a full year until we can commemorate the dark daze yet again. I may not be ready, but I won’t miss out. Happy Solstice!

FOTOFRIDAY: Liberty is Not a B/W Issue

Posted on: Friday, December 8th, 2023
Posted in: SoulTrain, Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

I stumbled on this pic from a fun week in NYNY in 2015 with my daughter, who was only 12 at the time. The statue looks stark, perhaps because Lady Liberty knows the world is ringing with divisiveness, war, extremism, and worse. It’s no fun for wide-eyed children and millions (billions?) of people all over the world.

Yet it’s the holiday season. So we continue to hope and pray for peace, love, and understanding. Nothing so funny about that, right? So as possible, please turn down the noise and enjoy your holiday rituals and festivities.

And of course, keep the faith.

FOTOFRIDAY: Reflections on a Balmy Fall

Posted on: Friday, November 17th, 2023
Posted in: SoulTrain, Unplugging, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Punny or not…No season brings deeper or more colorful reflections than fall.

Fall is a great time to travel—a ‘shoulder season’ when the tourists are usually back home yet the tourism bizzes are still humming but without irksome crowds and lines. The weather can be lovely if you choose the right place and have some luck. And autumn in most climes brings a free show of color and natural transformation.

And yet…fall is a good time to be home too. ESPECIALLY this year, here in MN, where we were gifted with drought-busting rains but also more sunny, warm days than I can count. Record-breaking stuff! The lake is full; the neighborhood pontoon party is still afloat. Chores got done without the panic of stinging snow or frozen fingers. We’ve been blissfully blessed.

Oh yeah, the other shoe WILL drop. Hard and cold. And soon, like, next week. Still, as I watched with envy while friends flew off to autumnal BreakAways in Italy, Nashville, and beyond, I also rejoiced in the epiphany that, often, the best place to travel is your own lovely yard.

FOTOFRIDAY: So Far Away, Yet So Halloween

Posted on: Friday, October 27th, 2023
Posted in: Sabbatical Shuffle, Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

It’s the spooky season…Beware of wayward pirates!

St. Vincent gets flown over by most tourists, but maybe that’s one reason this mountainous Caribbean island has been on my mind lately. As winter begins to slam MN, seems like the myriad snowbirds flock (slam?) to…Florida. Or Mexico. Who even thinks about St. Vinny? Well, I do. Fun fact: There are steel drum jams, but no traffic jams there!

Maybe folks are afraid. Imagine how many people had to die—and then get dug up—to find all these coffins! In truth, they’re leftovers from the filming of “The Curse of the Black Pearl.” And probably long since rotted away, as pic comes from January 2009. But you could see a LOT of sets, scenes, and (of course) coffins, if you had the right…guidebook!

Hey if it’s good enough for Captain Jack Sparrow (and Johnny Depp), it’s good enough for me. Aaaaarrrgghh…

FOTOFRIDAY: The Wondrous Sculptures of Lake Oswego

Posted on: Friday, October 20th, 2023
Posted in: Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

They’re everywhere! So keep your eyes (and mind) open. (Shot 10-15-23.)

In a world of increasing wealth disparity, this well-to-do but welcoming suburb flashes a metaphorical COME IN! sign by hosting provocative, FREE art all over the place. The collection numbers nearly 90 now, some loaned and some permanent, and residents have a say in which ones become bought for the muni-owned collection.

The project goes by Gallery Without Walls.

This particular eye-catcher, The Watcher, stands by a Safeway lot and comes from a series by artist Scott Foster.  Don’t let the subtitle disturb your serendipity: “Watching slowly as the world dissolves.” It’s art, after all—there to challenge, create a memory, awaken your camera. Mother Nature’s autumnal colors seem to enjoy the collaboration.

I visit this ‘burb often—partly to see my daughter at her nearby college, and partly because the lake and village provide a calming respite (+ some great restaurants, pubs, and shops). The sculptures are a brilliant bonus.

BreakAways can feel more arduous as one ages. Yet moments like this remind the tired back and weary eyes why it’s great to get outa town. And in Lake Oswego, that coveted A-HA or WOW is just around the corner.

FOTOFRIDAY: A Cool Day on St. Vincent (Island)

Posted on: Friday, October 6th, 2023
Posted in: Travelog, Work/Life Hacking, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Yes, it’s October. But no, that’s not a Halloween display. Rather, that pic offers just another gravestone and view from another idyllic island.

15 years ago, my kids got a gift they’ll never forget…or regret. 69 days of island hopping through 5 islands in the Caribbean. They got HOME-SCHOOLED! “Hardest math teacher ever!” they both told me. Often. And (otherwise) had the splash of a lifetime.  My son kept an online blog…A+!

One stopover was St. Vincent, as described and photographed in that there MYBA link. St. Vinny is an oft-overlooked Grenadine isle rich with mountains, authenticity, and perhaps a bit too much crime and pot growing (on those fertile mountain slopes). That keeps it quiet and off the snowbird migration routes.

Scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed there. Prices stayed delightfully on the low side. And the organic F&V were so plentiful that St. Vincent provides for many islands around them; farmer’s markets are filled with aggressive peddlers who send you home with more edible booty than you can carry. For about $20.

This photo was from a high-point stopover; cemeteries are often small and neighborhoody. This gent certainly has a fine view to decompose in.

  • Every Autumn I fall back…

Fall has arrived in MN. After a long, luxurious summer, we now simmer in darkening daze, fleece everything, and the promise of, oh, 7 months of same or worse before we kick off boots and slip on flip-flops. Unless, of course, one finds a way to plan a warm, faraway getaway!

Would I return to St. Vincent? In a heartbeat, in an island-hopper plane, or even—if I could swing it—hidden in a coffin…if it came to that.

Stay warm. Dream an epic dream. And keep the faith…

Unpaid Sabbatical # Rises to 29%

Posted on: Sunday, September 24th, 2023
Posted in: HR FYI, Sabbatical Shuffle, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment

Pee-wee Herman, a hero in so many ways and here commemorated via crop art, lived his life as one large sabbatical awash in mirth and imagination.

WorldatWork is a large, multi-national HR consulting firm that has wandering tendrils in various places to improve employee performance and such. Their website and lingo are perplexing, though HR people no doubt speak that language. An unrelated article sprang their new sabbatical # on us. 29%?

  • A word about the source’s source

One Megan Preston Meyer, an author from Duluth who now hails from Switzerland (as one does), lived a corporate life before hanging up her Business Casual. She took a year off to write a book (as one does), and soon found herself creating children’s books, business books, recorded versions, and more—plus ideas for further endeavors.

Megan provides big inspiration for us BreakAway practitioners. She actually left the office, launched a savvy business, and moved somewhere both far away and idyllic. She seems committed to her blossoming garden of products and potential, though does now fantasize the unthinkable: Going back to the office for fresh blood:

I want to kind of refill my corporate bucket, so that I’ve got more inspiration…

  • Forever seeking a fresh # for unpaid sabbaticals

Thanks to WorldasWork for announcing that 29% is the new, magic number. But…do we believe it? (Apologies: This site claims to be an expert in such info, yet humbly admits to often being skeptical and flummoxed by the sketchy research, noise and static, and smoke and mirrors!) That said…

• Gusto, a payroll processor, reports that 6% of employees took unpaid sabbaticals in 2022—double the rate of 2019. (Think: Pandemic.)

• The Society for Human Resource Management asserts that 5% of employers offer paid sabbaticals; 11% provide unpaid leaves.

• Meanwhile, a 2019 Society for Human Resource Management survey found that 16% of companies offer sabbaticals, but only 5% are paid.

So…in conclusion! Our cause has a lot of work to do, and any # or math to prove our points can be…fuzzy. But that’s OK; we accept life’s unknowns, challenges, and aspirations with open minds and arms. That’s the mindset of seekers and leapers.

But maybe we DO need to dig deeper into this fresh-ish core data stuff. Like we often used to, back when MYBA launched…right about now…in 2008.

(HEY, HAPPY 15TH ANNI, everybody!)

And we send kudos and high 5s and American green jello to Megan Preston Meyer, once of Duluth, now of Switzerland, writing books and building her own brave new world. Sabbaticals, self-employment, creativity, Europe, a big idea. That’s a full boat! Enjoy every minute, Megan.

And as for the rest of us? We appreciate the inspiration. And today’s information. In which we once again ask the simple question: How many employers DO offer sabbaticals, anyway?

Well, we’re not sure. And the # seems about the…same as it ever was. But we KNOW the appreciation and demand for BreakAways is bigger than ever.

We can thank Covid, The Great Quit, and worker empowerment for these evolutions. See? Sometimes the silver lining (and wings) come out of what we on this site call The Bad Thing.

We wish The Bad Thing on no one. But be ready. That, or perhaps pennies from heaven may be falling in your future soon. Be ready. Your world awaits. Everything is right on schedule.

Keep the faith.