Phone Books

In order to raise money for a recent project, my sister and I signed up to deliver phone books. Our delivery area would be similar to that of the postman and thus we saw the simple details of several neighborhoods. The three routes we committed to took quite some time, but it was good exercise, good money and good thinking time. For the last seven days I’ve learned a volume’s worth of lessons from phone books. While the volume might weigh 2.5 lbs like the books I delivered from house to house, business to business, these thoughts have been thoroughly marinated.

1. Teams and Tricky Stix are the key to success. The first day out, we collected a bunch of helpers to make the work lighter. Not only did we get the job done faster, but also it was so much more fun. We came up with team names like “What the Phone Book!” and Team 2- I apparently wasn’t very creative that day. We sang along to the Glee soundtrack and other hits. We fought the wind and rain with such perfect timing that when it rained, we ate lunch and when the sun shone, we ran down the streets with our bagged books in hand.

The Tricky Stix (cinnamon and sugar dessert breadsticks with frosting) were the perfect way to celebrate. And celebrate we must because our team did a good job, and a goal was met. We made money for those who need it. Sometimes I forget the importance of celebrating. I just want to finish a project and move to the next, but milestones, even small ones, deserve enough positive reflection and cheering so the next project can go all the better.

2. There’s no use avoiding the gate. I typically walked the block with 11 books in hand, getting have a block before returning to my car. It was a good system and fairly efficient. It did not come without its difficulties though. The worst part was leaving the car, weighed down, hands aching only to come upon a house with a gate. So many times I wanted to skip the house and come back. But each time I came to such an obstacle I realized I would have to face it at some point. I could either do it with lots of weight in my hands or less weight but more fatigue and less efficiency. It may seem like a simplistic decision and one that would have been fine either way, but I realized that my mind was not distracted by the deliveries I had made. If I were to leave a house, all I could think about was not forgetting it, figuring out the best way to get back to it without doubling my steps and over-analyzing the choice.

Such is the case in life. I come to obstacles, hard things and choices. If I commit to dealing with them right then and there, the struggle or pain is usually short lived and easily forgotten. However, if I wait, put off that which I’m dreading, it dominates my thoughts and emotion in a way that gives the obstacles power over me. The latter is not worth it. Just toughen up, go through the latched gate and move on.

3. Small chunks make big projects bearable. Had I delivered 1500 phone books in a day, I might never have gotten out of bed the next day. Instead, we broke up the route and set simpler expectations. Big jobs don’t have to be undertaken all at once even if timing and determination seems to dictate that. Small chunks encouraged me to finish strong and with quality so I win big in the end.

4. Working hard is not an option for everyone. At times during the process I thought: I need to make more friends who like to donate money to charity. Fundraisers are good fun but hard work. Yet, as I thought of the kids and parents to which our efforts support, I realized I was blessed in my choice. Most people in the world work to survive whether it’s by cultivating and selling products from the land, rebuilding infrastructure in the hot sun or simply carrying water from a well several miles away and cooking over a charcoal stone. My survival doesn’t rely on this type of work; instead I have a chance to be creative, to interact with people, to teach various skills and ideas. My labor consists of moving hurdles on the track. So while my brain sometimes feels “worked to the bone,” I can humbly say I’m thankful that that’s a choice I got to make.