Welcome to the library!

Ep 73: Keeping energy for yourself, the joy of volunteering, and a fitness follow-up.

This week’s kick in the pants comes from Adam Westbrook, who wrote about the perils of idolizing famous people:

While admiration is healthy, idolising another person, famous or otherwise, requires excessive devotion: in time, energy and spirit. It is an act of cleaving your own creative fire and handing it to someone else who, frankly, doesn’t need it. It is draining water from your own cup to top up a luxury swimming pool.” His question of “What if you kept that energy for yourself?

My immediate reaction was a recognition that with each passing year, my energy (and as a proxy, time, enthusiasm, and initiative) are resources to be meted out with ever more discretion. These are the most precious of commodities, so I owe it to myself to be an efficient steward.

This week’s hands-down highlight was volunteering at the Finger Lakes 50s trail race in the Finger Lakes National Forest. Is it ironic I’m talking about the joy of volunteering after leading with something about keeping energy for yourself? Well, volunteering feeds me. It’s a worthwhile investment.

We’ve volunteered at this race many times, along with other trail and road races throughout the area. Our aid station this year is called the Library, so called (we think) because there’s a formation of rocks in the ravine below that looks like a stack of books on end. So, we called out “Welcome to the library!” for much of the day, jangling our cowbells and welcoming runners through our oasis. Here’s a fun video so you can see the setup.

As we greeted, fed, hydrated, encouraged, and laughed with runners throughout the day, I felt grateful to be volunteering. Most runners train for months for this type of distance. Despite the rain, heat, and/or bugs (you never know what you’re going to get, just like racing), it’s gratifying to be a part of something so important on someone’s race calendar. You meet their parents, spouses, kids, and friends, and find common ground through a shared love of the outdoors. It was hot and somewhat buggy this year, but we had a fantastic time during our 9-hour volunteer stretch.

If you know of a local running club or race organization, check out their volunteer opportunities. Case in point, see the “Volunteer to Help” button at the top of the Finger Lakes 50s race’s page. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old. It doesn’t matter if you run or not, or how much time you have to offer. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to be outside, either – plenty of volunteer opportunities involve pre-race bib and swag pickup, which is typically safe from the elements. Volunteering is a great way to get involved, meet people, and have a great time doing it.

A Tip for the Modern Worker

Know when to call it a day. One of the oft-cited drawbacks of working remotely is having blurry boundaries. Define an end to your workday so you can do other things that fulfill you before the next workday begins. That project or task that you're leaving unfinished? It'll be waiting for you tomorrow.

This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker. That followed my first book, The Art of Working Remotely, about my experience working from home since 1998. Depending on where you work and which way the wind is blowing, these may be banned books or fan fiction. I hope it’s the latter.

Mail Bag: If you work remotely and have come across an issue that needs solving, a thorn that needs removing, or just an observation you’d like to share, hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.

Fitness Followup

In the last edition, I teased David Roche’s Western States 100 race preview. We were glued to the television for long stretches throughout the day, following the runners and hearing their stories told through the commentators. David didn’t have the day he wanted, but in the end, this excerpt from his Strava post turns out to be pretty good advice.

You’re going to fail in life. A lot. Success is basically progressively failing on bigger and bigger stages. But take the stage. The world needs your voice, even if it’s embarrassing when it cracks at exactly the wrong time. The people who matter will be proud of you no matter what.