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Living in Colorado you are no stranger to the term “weekend warrior”, heck you probably even consider yourself one.
The Oxford dictionary defines a weekend warrior as “a person who participates in an activity only in their spare time.”
The words ‘spare time’ captures the pitfall of being a weekend warrior, implying that other activities such as work, bills, chores, etc. leave the weekend warrior with just a sliver of time to do the things they love: Be outside.
One might describe this as a part-time job to salvage happiness. Society has molded us to believe that we should work our entire adult lives so that one day we might be able to do the things we love full time.
For the outdoor lover, one must decide how to maximize happiness in a world that is constantly changing. Quit now and move to Hawaii? Or work hard until retirement allows exploration?
This paradox is particularly alarming when leading indicators suggest the natural world is already suffering. It’s happening right in your backyard too. If you aren’t already choking on smoke this summer, it’s time to wake up to the reality of enormous forest fires ravaging some of Colorado’s most picturesque landscapes.
Our natural world is deteriorating so quickly that we may lose snow to ski, forests to camp, and rivers to raft. Humanity can innovate and solve complex challenges, but you may be skiing pow through a VR headset sooner than you think.
So as you manipulate the shit out of that spreadsheet, consider the things that you can do to have a net positive impact as well as bring your passion for the outdoors into your work-week. Whether it’s turning lights off in the other room or volunteering with an environmental organization, try to do your part so that maybe the snow will still fall in the Rockies, bees will still pollinate produce, and weekend warriors won’t go extinct.
Written by @its_jacksonmartin and edited by @sidney_ellen42