We all need a ‘spring break’. And it’s not just for the vitamin D sunshine boost. A temporary change in location can stimulate a permanent change in perspective.

Nature reminds us to pause, celebrate, and welcome spring. As temperatures moderate and daylight hours lengthen we find ways to escape to the outdoors, contemplating great decisions on walks around the block or conferring with colleagues at courtyard conference tables.

But these are only ‘teaser’ experiences. If you have been running a marathon @work since the beginning of the new year, it’s time to break away from work and experience something new.

In the U.S. the concept of spring break is often synonymous with beach bacchanals and mindless cavorting. While that may be the choice for a minority, the perception masks the reality of those who take a week to travel outside their comfort zone to assist non-profits and NGOs in their work to improve the lives of others.

Spring break has many definitions, incorporating a variety of experience. Most describe renewal, not exhaustion; fun, not excess.

The ‘muscle memory’ of the academic calendar that guided our days beginning in pre-school, stimulates our recollection of past spring adventures, and the little earthquakes in our perceptions of the world.

What adventure will be your catalyst to discovery?

I took this photo on a Saturday morning at the corner of Pico and Exposition in Los Angeles. The traffic stop sign, with the bicycle attached offered passersby an invitation to stop and consider an adventure accessible with a key.

You don’t need book a flight to Mexico or the Caribbean. Just stop. Your bike is outside, waiting for you.