Wellness wins since we last spoke:

1. Asked for overtime and got it; every week if I want it
2. Found an empty office at the end of the hall for lunch hour yoga
3. Found a nature preserve half a mile from my office; with a river and trails

How is overtime a win, other than the money? I’ve worked for way too many companies either stingy with the OT or which forbid it altogether. If you’ve got it available to you AND you can get it when the business is closed, that’s win/win. Empty, quiet workspace with no interruptions plus extra earnings. Just one hour of overtime covers my gas for the entire week. If it will not compromise some other aspect of wellness, don’t leave overtime on the table. Max out overtime every chance you get, providing it is reasonable in relation to the rest of your life.

If it requires an extra commute, maximize the opportunity to get some other kind of wellness extra credit on the return trip. I get the majority of my bonus hours by going in to work early, but on the occasions I do go in on a weekend, I can piggyback a run or hike at the nature preserve, doubling the value of the drive. There is also canoe/kayak access if I so desire. Or tennis courts on the way home. Or a picnic. Or library. Or friends.

It takes three minutes to get to the this spot from my office. Once winter sets in it will be hard to get any workweek daylight exposure. Here in Mercyburg we drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark over the winter months. Three minutes away from my desk I’ve got midday sun, wind, earth, and water ready and waiting. Add in a short run or medium walk during the warmest part of the winter day (right smack in the middle) and we’ve got another win/win. When weather doesn’t permit, hit the yoga mat.

God bless The Nature Conservancy. This is a tiny little preserve. But it’s got a little bit of everything. Dirt trails through the forest, pebble trail through prairie grass, a floating dock for canoe/kayak ease. Some tables for picnics, secluded sites for float-in or walk-in camping. I even find some fire pits begging for my attention.

Hell, I guess if you’re a hobo you could even ride in on the rails, as long as you felt comfortable with a jump, not that I recommend such a thing. In fact, forget I mentioned that part, but I’ll be happy to wave as you chug past my hideaway idyll just around the corner from my to-do list.

The preserve is sandwiched in between the city and a state park so if I have actual playtime on my hands there is even more to love nearby, including a mountain climb. You can see in the second collage above; top right corner.

I’ve been lunching here to explore a little at a time until today, when I tacked a full run onto the end of my Sunday morning overtime and got to see more (and of course, sweat more).

This is an example of wellness dividends paying off big time. I don’t have to work overtime; I get to. I don’t have to commute in to the edge of a state park; I get to. After today I’m going to stop describing my new job as hard. I’ll switch to describing it as rewarding.  Be well, my friends.

— Mercy