Welcome to Tuesday Topics, a weekly linkup that I host with Jenn at Runs With Pugs. This week’s topic is Giving Tuesday – How Do You Give Back To The Fitness Community?
Since I can never quite stay on topic, I’m going to talk about giving in general. Not gifts (although I do have some fun gift ideas coming up tomorrow!) but giving back to the community in general.
i’ve been at my current job for ten years. In that time, a lot of the older therapists have left and we have a flock of new younger therapists (women in their 20s) joining us. At first I was a little salty about “youth today”- they’re always on their phones! They have terrible social skills! They have no work ethic (calling out sick because they aren’t in a good space mentally to “do their best work.” Sheesh!)
Somewhere along the line I realized I should stop acting like an elderly curmudgeon, and consider myself in the role of mentor. Now I make it a point to periodically ask if they have any questions about the job and generally take the lead if any problems occur, instead of joining the chorus of complainers.
Today a coworker- a young woman of 22- was very upset about an admittedly complicated and troublesome personal problem (nothing dangerous, to be clear). Since there’s no right answer to the issue at this moment, this is what I told her:
At some point, the solution to this will become clear. When that happens, you’ll know what to do and be able to take action. The reason it seems so overwhelming right now is that you haven’t reached that point of clarity. Have faith that that point will come, and in the meantime stay calm and pay attention to everything that’s happening, so that when the time for action comes, you’ll recognize it.
I think it helped her! But… maybe not. Looking back, this is what I’ve learned from my own experience. I wish I could go back and tell Young Jenny that everything would be all right, eventually (it’s definitely what I tell myself now, when I’m worried about something). But maybe it’s something you just have to live in your own life.
We’ve all gone through difficult situations- do you come to a moment of clarity where the correct choice is clear? Do you have faith that everything will be all right in the end?
And now- here are the Tuesday Topics for 2026! The prompts are there for inspiration, but you don’t have to write on the topic if it doesn’t speak to you- you can still link your post!
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts!
Introducing Your 2026 Tuesday Topics
January
- 6: What’s your word or intention for 2026?
- 13: How do you reset your routine after the holidays?
- 20: What helps you stay motivated through the winter’s blah months?
- 27: Free Topic
February
- 3: Self-care check: how do you show yourself kindness this month?
- 10: Share something you LOVE about your active lifestyle?
- 17: What habit(s) are you trying to strengthen right now?
- 24: Free Topic
March
- 3: What does “springing forward” mean for your mindset this year?
- 10: How do you bring more balance to your busy days?
- 17: Luck and hard work: which one has helped you the most lately?
- 24: Favorite way to welcome spring?
- 31: Free Topic
April
- 7: How do you add more joy or fun into your workouts?
- 14: How do you stay consistent when life gets chaotic?
- 21: It’s Earth Week: How do you stay active outdoors responsibly?
- 28: Free Topic
May
- 5: What’s one goal you’re proud of this spring?
- 12: What does mental wellness mean to you right now?
- 19: Share your favorite outdoor adventure spot.
- 26: Free Topic
June
- 2: What does Global Running Day mean to you?
- 9: How do you find balance during summer chaos?
- 16: Favorite warm-weather snack, meal or hydration tip
- 23: Summer solstice: What are you looking forward to this season?
- 30: Free Topic
July
- 7: Mid-year check-in: What’s been your biggest win of 2026 so far?
- 14: How do you stay active while traveling or on vacation?
- 21: What’s your favorite way to cool down (physically or mentally)?
- 18: Free Topic
August
- 4: What’s your back-to-routine plan for fall?
- 11: How do you keep things fun when motivation dips?
- 18: Share a favorite memory from the summer
- 25: Free Topic
September
- 1: What’s your fall focus: fitness, family, fun, or something else?
- 8: How do you reset your habits after summer?
- 15: What does “community” mean to you right now?
- 22: First Day Of Fall: What are you most excited for this season?
- 29: Free Topic
- October
- 6: Share your favorite fall comfort meal or ritual
- 13: How do you stay active when the weather turns cooler?
- 20: What’s your favorite fall activity or race?
- 27: Free Topic (or Halloween fun)
November
- 3: What are you most thankful for in your fitness life or journey?
- 10: How do you handle the busy holiday season without burning out?
- 17: Share your holiday gift ideas for active friends and families.
- 24: Free Topic
December
- 1: Giving Tuesday: what cause do you care about the most?
- 8: Your 2026 highlight reel: biggest wins or lessons learned.
- 15: Favorite memories from this year’s adventures
- 22: What are your goals for 2027?
- 29: How are you ringining in the New Year?
40 Responses
That is such amazing advice. I think it would have given 22 year old me some comfort and a plan, to pay attention, to figure out what to do. What an intentional and wonderful way of giving back to your work community! My dad used to say he was becoming an ‘elder statesman’ in his profession when he was not much older than we are now. I laughed at the time.
Will things be all right in the end? I wish I even knew what that meant. We have so many sorrows in life, and I guess I feel like if things were going to be all right, that would mean not experiencing those sorrows. I guess that’s a mind shift I need to make. Bad things happen, but we will (can) be OK afterwards.
Yes- bad things will definitely, unfortunately happen. But I still believe it will all be okay in the end. Ha ha… I’m definitely and “elder” in my job now!
that’s a great advice Jenny, we all needed it when we were younger. the advantage of being older is that we went through these processes too many times and know in confidence that the answer arrives eventually.
There really are a lot of great things about getting older! That’s the other thing young people don’t understand- life actually gets better.
I wish I had faith that the correct choice would always be clear. Sometimes, there is no right choice, just different choices. But I do feel that you can keep going forward and prepare to be flexible. Maybe being older I’m more comfortable ( or at least resigned) to living with ambiguity. ( I really wish I had a big neon sign pointing out that my choice was the right one, but not likely!)
I’ve had some really difficult decisions lately, and sometimes the answer seemed clear at the time ( homeschooling my son, some other kid issues) but I am not always certain later. Doubts creep in. But I can’t change the past , and move forward instead.
Well- I’ll agree there. There are no RIGHT choices, just different. Good point.
I wish I had someone tell me that when I was 22 – and continue to tell me that in my 50s! Great advice, Jenny!
I love mentoring young women. I have a few students here in Cape Town that we are mentoring and also a young girl who I train with. I find myself mostly reassuring them, telling them that everything will come right in the end.
I’m going to steal your wording, though. “Have faith that the point will come…” – brilliant.
Yes, I know you mentor younger girls. I love the photos you share. I’m sure it means a lot to them!
I love this–I too work with a lot of younger people and sometimes have to take the role of mentor. I learn a lot from them as well. Giving is more than material things!
Yes, that’s a great point- we forget that we can learn from them as well.
That’s thoughtful advice to the young girl, and I like your attitude about taking on the role as mentor rather than complaining. I know I’m frustated over today’s young people and their attitude and work ethic (or the lack thereof)! I feel like a dinosaur sometimes when thinking about it.
I rarely get to a point of clarity with decisions, but do get to the point when I know I still have to make a decision. I’ll have a gut feeling afterwards whether I did the right thing… but usually can adjust if not.
The Tuesday topics look great… I’ll definitely join next year! (and possibly during December)
Yes, please join us! As you can see (by my example) you don’t have to write on the exact topic if you don’t want to. And- great point. Sometimes you need to make a decision- usually, you can make a pivot later if you need to.
I love the advice that you gave that young person! It is hard to sit with feelings of uncertainty. I am terribly impatient! Much of what I worried about when I was younger were things I really had no control over – namely, when I was find my husband and have children. It all worked out but on a very different timeline than what I imagined. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Yes, and when you look back, don’t you wish you hadn’t wasted the time worrying??? Ah, if only we knew then…
Great advice. It is so hard to wait. And I think life experience really does help. As you encounter more and more of those tricky, uncertain moments you gain perspective and understanding that eventually, as Nicole would say, There will be a time after this! (Thank goodness!)
Yes! Nicole’s words of wisdom really resonated with just about everyone, considering that we quote her all the time.
I think you gave some great advice! I know I always struggle when things feel uncertain and I’m not sure what’s the best way forward, but sometimes we just have to learn through experience.
I only have one coworker who’s younger than me — the rest are around my age or 10+ years older — so I’m not really in a place to mentor anyone but I’m sure as I get older that will happen more.
Yes, you’re still in the phase where it seems like everyone is older than you. It’s an odd feeling when you realize you’ve “aged up” to the next phase!
Just wait until your 22 year old baby coworker reaches curmudgeon status!
I absolutely have faith that everything will be OK in the end. There are so many situations where we don’t have the answer right now, so all that we can do is to be “fact finders” and gather the information that will get us to the answer. That’s my story anyway!
Ooh, I like that- “fact finders.” And yes… she will be a curmudgeon too one day, hee hee.
I love that you decided to transition at work from joining the chorus of complainers to becoming a mentor. Those were wise words you gave the younger therapist. I hope it helped her.
Yes, it was a weird feeling when I realized the time had come to make that transition!
We have a new hire! She just started yesterday. I can’t tell if I’m annoying with my stop ins to check on her or if I’m being helpful.
OH! ALSO! This is a saga I can’t write about on my blog, but I can in your comments, so here goes. We did just hire someone and I was on the hiring committee. There’s someone else who works in our organization – let’s call her Sophie – who had applied for a different position in our office (I’m not lying when I say everyone wants to work in our office – we get interesting cases/workloads, but we’re fun and the camaraderie is real) before, but didn’t get it. We did recommend she apply for a different job in our organization in an office across campus and she did get that one. I gave her the head’s up that we were hiring because I got the impression she wasn’t super happy in her current role. Sophie applied; we interviewed her; she did a terrible interview, which was so surprising for an internal candidate; we hired someone else.
The saga comes from the fact that Sophie just messaged me asking to meet for lunch. And while I am *slightly older* than Sophie, we are essentially peers. I am happy to meet with her for lunch! I like her! But if she asks me what happened, do I give vague answers or tell her that her interviewing skills are subpar and give her specific hints? Is that my place? Or do I just tell her that someone else was better qualified? That isn’t actually the truth. We hired a very young new grad because she was polished and detail-oriented and interviewed like a champ. Egads. This is going to be a diplomatic nightmare for me.
I no longer know what this has to do with your original post. OH! Can you mentor someone who is your peer? Is that weird?
Also, I can’t believe you have all those prompts ready for 2026. That is an amazing amount of forethought. I don’t even know what I’m going to eat for lunch today.
I would say, tell her the truth as a friend. You would want someone to tell you, right? i mean… that’s my opinion as an outsider here.
I don’t know if can legally since I was on the committee. I think that stuff is confidential. I’ll have to ask my boss what I can and cannot say. I sort of hate this and IT’S A SITUATION OF MY OWN MAKING. I bet she wouldn’t have applied if I hadn’t told her about it.
Great advice. I try to stay in the present because you can’t change the past and worrying about the future wrecks the present.
But it’s not to look back and wish you had done things differently. Definitely made a lot of mistakes…
Thanks for the prompts and co-hosting the link-up. Hope there’s a graphic.
Er…. a graphic sounds like a job for Jenn! I’ll pass it along…
I actually don’t have an answer to the question in the first paragraph. But yes, there were definitely more than one instance that I experienced in the past in which I came to a moment of clarity where the correct choice was clear. While I cannot guarantee that everything will turn out all right in the end, I find that 99 percent of things do.
I also imagine that there are colleagues of yours who will spontaneously ask you for advice, Jenny.
It occurs to me that one benefit of you and Jenn at Runs With Pugs introducing the 2026 Tuesday Topics is that a blogger can write about this list of topics if the blogger has run out of things to write about.
It sounds like we think pretty much alike on this! And yes… the list of prompts could help people who need a fresh idea.
I feel so strongly about mentors and mentees! It is such an important relationship! I have had so many incredible older women in my life over the years who have really shaped me in ways I’m sure they cannot even imagine. They probably have no idea how impactful they were! And so I try to return the favour to the universe by being there for younger women or women who are looking for advice (I only offer advice when it’s asked for, otherwise it’s just a sympathetic listening ear). I think I have Big Sister Energy, or at least I want to have that.
I think your Big Sister Energy comes across in your blog and in the comments you leave on other blogs, Nicole!
Oh, Jenny, that is such great advice, and it’s so kind of you to think of yourself in a mentorship type of role. I think it can be so comforting and helpful to have someone you can talk to who already knows the ropes.
Thank you Suzanne! It was either that or become really strange and anti social, constantly grumbling about how we did things “in my day.” ha…
I love your advice about waiting for that point of clarity to make itself known. WOW, totally on-point! The past few years, as you know, have had me going through some major life changes (marginal status, selling/buying houses, car ownership, job changes, etc.), and those points of clarity do come, the tough part is having the patience to wait for them (and recognize them).
Yes, I would imagine you have definitely experienced this! You have had a LOT of big decisions lately.
I really, really, really love that advice, Jenny! It’s something I’m going to have to sit with because I think it’s so common for us to want to be go-go-go and try to solve problems that arise as quickly as possible, but sometimes the best thing to do is sit back and wait, and let the clarity come.
I love that you have switched your thinking about these younger therapists to be their mentor. I’m sure that feels a lot more life-giving than complaining about them. (Although I love a good complain-y vent session!)
At Curly’s game last night – we inadvertently landed in the student section . Hey we were there first. Anyway, Coach noted how the teens around us were on their phones SO MUCH. Like teens cannot stay off their phones for any length of time. I’m feeling stressed about Curly college choice – will she get an offer to play b-ball at a school that’s a school with decent academics? Because that’s important. I have to remind myself that things will fall into place. *deep breath* Her high school coach is talking to an interested college coach today – a school in Tampa. That school doesn’t get great marks for academics on Niche. Hmmm?
I love these Tuesday topics!!
I have been teaching for over 20 years and yes, when new teachers start, I huff and puff about “dem kids”. I also huff and puff about my students, also “dem kids.” One year they gave me a student teacher and I was on my best behavior. I think.
You gave her some great advice!!
I LOVE that you have appointed yourself as a mentor in these situations. The only way to ever effect any kind of change is to be part of the solution. Every generation comes with its pros and cons, but I love that you are making the best of a situation you don’t appreciate and everyone is benefitting.
I’ve been in a difficult situation for a while. It’s hard having someone you love have a chronic illness and it leaves for a lot of uncertainty. There isn’t really a resolution, and there’s not much I can do other than be supportive and willing to lean in to treatments and habits that lead to better health, but it can be emotionally exhausting. I don’t know that there will be a moment of clarity, but we do what we can.
You gave her some wonderful advice, and I like your general attitude about extending grace and trying to be a mentor! That is so amazing.