Upon reflection of the sabbatical

Those who know me would not describe me as having crunchy tendencies, nor would they know me to indulge in any mind-altering substances (in post-college life, at least). However the phrase "Tune in, turn on, and drop out" has been on my mind of late, humming at the base level (I've successfully ignored the hippy connotations). I have entered a phase that has clarified one thing to me: I need a sabbatical. Not a vacation, no: a true, deliberate, purposeful removal from my present pace. I've been uttering this phrase repeatedly in the last few weeks: "Work is really cramping my lifestyle"--and it's true. A little wikipedia'ing yielded Timothy Leary's definition of TITNDO; very apt, in my case:

"'Turn on' meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. 'Tune in' meant interact harmoniously with the world around you - externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives. Drop out suggested an elective, selective, graceful process of detachment from involuntary or unconscious commitments. 'Drop Out' meant self-reliance, a discovery of one's singularity, a commitment to mobility, choice, and change."
(Leary goes on to say "unhappily my explanations of this sequence of personal development were often misinterpreted to mean 'Get stoned and abandon all constructive activity'". I wonder why, Tim?)

I'm not interested in rest from burnout. I'm ready to create new output. Do I need to be a 60 year-old tenured professor to have a sabbatical? Must I have achieved some pre-determined career success or breakdown to earn this? Do I need a desert or a mountain peak to achieve this? I don't think so. So internets, I am going to start "Sabbatical Weekends" in my life, once a month. Unless and until I reach the greatest leverage point, DESPERATION, I shall institute this faithfully, beginning today. Criteria to be determined. When I can get a break.

Here's today's cool thing:
Hug your sorrow plush tears! Woot! Having a bad day? Misery loves company! Plush tears. YES.