On one hand, America’s work ethic is something to be proud of.  On the other hand, don’t such productive people deserve an occasional Sabbatical? 

 

 

Source:  NFI Research.  (Star Tribune 8-14-09)

 

My 12-year old is gone at camp for 10 days.  Fortunately, this is Year 5.  So I not only find it easier each year, I probably enjoy it more.  After all, tweenie-kids these days:  They’ve already got SOs, 24/7 text-mania, hectic social (and school and sports) lives, and most of the answers. 

 

So in some ways, my role as a dad becomes more extraneous by the minute.  Yet it’s also the most important “work” in my life—while the job lasts—so I fight for family time, music practice, manners lessons, and a real relationship.  But do I miss those challenges when I get a 10-day reprieve?  Not so much.  I mean, sometimes a guy needs a break!

 

No doubt he does too.  Though he many not know it, campfire silliness and learning to canoe and making new friends trump texting and pool-play at the end of the day—and your life. 

 

A few decades later, I can definitely say that the most memorable experiences of my childhood included that three-week camp at the ranch.  The summer weeks that I stayed on at my grandparents’ farm.  The carefree independence of teen summer itself—when a bike and some friends was ALL you needed. 

 

I’ve been scratching itchy feet and searching for free will ever since—now blessed to take a lengthy Sabbatical now and then.  I learned how from summer vacations. 

 

So the best lesson of summer camp may be for a kid to learn to take a break…get away.  And yes, that includes from the parents. 

 

Sometimes music gets a bad rap these days.  “Songs” are all attitude and chatter, and often devoid of actual singing.  “Autotune” turns voices into robots.  Mash-ups and electonica replace real instruments.  And kids skip through their playlist with the attention span of a fly.  Meanwhile, sound quality gets abused—condensed and often replayed through dime-sized speakers. 

 

Still, music is a big blessing—and can provide a magical BreakAway from the cacophony of routine monotony.  A daily course of music—real music, with intent listening—nourishes like a smoothie for the soul.  Or, as Maude (of movie “Harold and Maude”) says, “Music is the language of the stars!” 

 

BABT6:  Make Time for Music … 11 ways to plug in, tune in, and amp it up

• Got an instrument?  Pick it up and start pickin’ and grinnin’. 
• Go through your music collection and play stuff you’ve been neglecting for a while. 
• When there’s a good tune on the car radio, don’t get out til it’s over. 
• Support local, live performers whenever you can sneak away. 
• Insist that your children learn to read and play music—no matter how unharmonious the occasional tussle. 
• Always throw (at least) a buck in a busker’s bucket. 
• Turn off all other media and annoyances, and let yourself really listen. 
• Sing!  It’s as natural as eating, drinking, and dancing—and it feels good in your body. 
• Weather permitting, head out to hear outdoor live music early and often. 
• Invest in a dang good sound system; make one room (or more) a sunny, sonic sanctuary. 
• Do like John Cage and sense the earthy music of the train, cricket, wind, and waves. 

Is music one of your ways to escape–or get closer to what matters to you?  Leave a comment please!

 

You gotta love the way she confronts the realities of walking away from stability and, possibly, stepping into “a world of hurt.”  Anyone who’s been there knows that those mixed emotions can rage like a spring river in the days before you set off in your new-life raft…  Bev says:

 

Bev also talks to Carline Miller, a life coach and co-author of Creating Your Best Life—an inspiring book about goal-setting and positive psychology.  Miller may be all about productivity, but she also asserts that taking breaks can be an “ideal way to recharge your batteries so that you can return to your goals feeling refreshed and re-energized.”

 

Thanks for the shout-out, Bev.  Let’s chat again when you find yourself midstream in your blessed journey. 

 

 

• Try your luck at one of today’s fastest-growing games:  Frizbee golf. 
• Walk the dog—or someone else’s—and make a puppy happy.
• Rent something that floats and ride upstream:  canoe, kayak or sailboat. 
• Tune up your old bike and take a spin on your neighborhood bike trails.
• Get up and go bowling in your spare time.   
• Take a stroll to smell some roses.  Doesn’t really matter where you’re going.
• Visit a batting-machine cage and take a swing at hitting. 
• Come into the cold with skiing or show-shoeing. 
• Tennis, anyone?
• This one goes well with beer:  Cornholing (though some people call it bean bag toss). 
• Whether alone or at the disco, dance (as the saying goes) like nobody’s watching. 

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

 

“I need to go to more ballgames.”

• “I need to examine sunsets and storm fronts more closely.” 
• “I need to spend more time with my dogs.” 
• “The internet is full of important things.  But mostly it is full of nothing.” 
• “Do you know the sweet thing about baseball?  It’s all the nothing that connects the consquences on the field.” 
• “On your porch, air is the main event.  And it’s alive.” 
• “Yes, I’ve got to do more things that make absolutely no sense, except that they reward my senses.  I think that’s what we have them for.” 

 

• Hook up with old college, fishing, or childhood chums. 
• Bum the use of an acquaintance’s wilderness cabin; chop wood for your rent. 
• Volunteer for Habitat, a church group, or wherever you’re needed. 
• Visit a cool college town when school is not in session. 
• Drive blue highways till you spot a funky hotel you like. 
• Send the family away—and have a “staycation” by yourself at home. 
• Go pay respects to an aging family member or old friend. 
• Pay a pilgrimage to a memorable place from your youth. 
• Try a yoga, meditation, or religious retreat.
• Hang out in a posh resort during a shoulder season—when they’re slow and cheap. 
• Board a bus, boat, or train to somewhere you’ve never traveled (and enjoy the ride). 

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