Life Update | Taking a Desk Job and Quitting Social Media

By Chase Parnell  —  December 2, 2020

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I’ve got news. We’ve been very open from the start of this Treeline Journal project that we were hoping to grow it into something that could support a humble existence. Well, long story short, after over a year of plugging away and doing the best we could, it’s becoming clear that we’re going to fall short. But don’t worry, we’re not throwing in the towel, we’re simply looking for ways to buy more time.

We started Treeline as a way to pursue our passions, build community, and inspire people to live their best lives. We thought that if we did that really well then the site would grow and grow and doors would open, and to a certain extent it has done that. Lots of really cool things happened! But while growth has been steady, it’s been slow. We’ve sold advertisements, we have over 50 patrons supporting our site financially, I’ve dabbled in online coaching and freelance writing, Nikki launched a podcast that is doing really well, but we aren’t making enough to continue to do this full-time. We’re also learning that maybe we’re not the most entrepreneurial people in the world. We’re driven by emotion and heart, we want our work to matter and be authentic; there are other ways to make the site more profitable but they have felt sort of like selling out so we haven’t done them. Maybe that means we just don’t want it bad enough? I don’t know. It also turns out that there is a lot of selling involved in owning a small business and, shocker, I’m not all that salesy. 

So in an effort to stop the bleeding, I’ve decided to take a temporary job with the State of Oregon. The position starts this Thursday and will go through the end of June. I’m viewing this job as a way to remove some financial stress and buy us a little more time with Treeline. While the site will now be more of a side hustle for me, I still intend to write articles and put out our weekly Rise & Grind newsletter no matter what. This won’t be easy because I’m an all-or-nothing type of person. It’s tempting to use this transition as a way to give up on Treeline Journal, admit defeat, and start focusing on this new job and an alternate future. But I also know that there has been a lot of value created by this last year of work and can’t stomach flushing it all down the toilet just because we’re not where we wanted to be. We might just need to redefine our metrics of success, for the site and for life in general.

An Uncertain Future

As far as the future goes, I foresee one of two scenarios coming to fruition: (1) I jump back into the workforce and will be immediately reminded of how badly I want this flexible, creative, non-traditional lifestyle that Treeline provided, and therefore I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we’re ready to hit the ground running again come the end of June when this job ends, or (2) I’ll enjoy the routine and structure and stability of the job and maybe be content to plug away in public service. I’m actively romanticizing a quieter life where I’m not constantly sharing (maybe over-sharing) many aspects of my life on the internet. I could work my weekly 40 and pursue my personal interests on nights and weekends like everyone else. 

It’s worth noting too that life is getting more complicated; with a third baby set to arrive in May, I don’t know how footloose and fancy free I can afford to be through this period of life. It’s tough. Part of me wants to sell our house, move to the Alps or the Scottish highlands, buy a van and live the family dirtbag lifestyle for the next 2-3 years, but then where would that leave us? There’s something to be said for embracing a sense of rootedness as well. Maybe we settle into our home and community more, have the headspace to care about things other than big picture ideas, and narrow the focus to what is around us: start planning our spring vegetable garden, work on home projects, build into our friendships, get really fit, work on Treeline without having the associated financial pressures. There are ways to see this transition as good and healthy. 

Your Perception is Your Reality

As you can tell, I’m still processing all of this. Maybe I should be jumping for joy. I landed a full-time benefited job in uncertain times that is a half mile from my house in Bend, Oregon. I will ride my bike to work in 3-4 minutes. I will come home for lunch every day to see my beautiful wife and kids. It was a risk leaving my law job last September, blowing through our savings and equity, and rolling the dice. We couldn’t have foreseen the pandemic. Maybe this job is a huge blessing. 

Another positive for Treeline is that I think this time will help us find our niche and really dial in the scope of what we want to put out into the world. We have jumped around a lot with different types of content: articles on elite running, training tips, gear reviews, YouTube videos, personal essays, long form interviews, newsletters, podcasts, and more. Maybe by synching the net a lit bit, we’ll thrive? This is all very Darwinian, but no matter what, we are proud of the work we’ve done. We went for it and we’re going to keep going for it as we evolve and morph over time.  

I hope you all continue to check in with Treeline Journal. I hope all our patrons continue to support us. I hope we continue to find inspiration. I know Nikki is going to keep kicking ass, putting out Run Hard Mom Hard podcast episodes and writing (as she’s able given the pregnancy) and I’m going to keep putting my writing out there for so long as it feels like I’m contributing to the greater conversation: the discourse of life on planet earth.  

But I won’t sugarcoat it, there is turmoil in change. The maelstrom of desire, ambition, apathy, contradiction, and confusion have me swirling, but right now I’m actually looking forward to the temporary life raft of steady paid work. And of all my prior jobs (corporate, government, law firm), I did feel most at home with state workers; they felt closest to my kind of people. So here’s to hoping I find a nice little community of good people to share my daytime hours with. 

So Long, Social Media

Lastly, as I broadcasted in the title of this post, I did indeed quit most of my social media accounts. I won’t describe exactly what put me over the edge, but let’s just say it was an accumulation of negative energy that was too much for me to take anymore. I don’t need to see all that stuff and I don’t need to keep tabs on everyone I’ve ever known. Maybe this will just be a break and I’ll create new accounts someday, but I need some space from it now. Personal Facebook account deleted, personal instagram account deactivated, LinkedIn account deactivated. I am keeping Strava. I will never leave Strava. And because Nikki doesn’t “do” Twitter, I will maintain the Treeline Journal Twitter account, but nobody I know in my personal life really follows that account so there isn’t all the associated toxic baggage (of which I admittedly contributed to) found on Facebook and instagram. And besides, how would I follow Western States, or any other race for that matter, if not on Twitter? 

I told you I was an extreme person. I couldn’t just not look at Facebook, I had to delete it. And if you’re curious, just a few days into this social media free lifestyle, I have nothing but positive things to say. I have more time to read books, less nonsense entering my brain, and I’m feeling a sense of levity and space and freedom from the constantly buzzing phone. I may be a more productive human.

And just to be clear, you can still follow our Treeline Journal Facebook and instagram accounts, but know that it will exclusively be Nikki at the helm. She’s been promoted to social media Czar. I won’t even know if she posts any unflattering pictures of me. 

So there, if you want to know what’s going on with me personally, you will only find it here, in my Treeline posts and in our weekly newsletter. Wish me luck in the new job! Sorry if it feels like a contradiction in some way after all my talk over the last year about pursuing your dreams and passions. I’m adapting and doing what I need to do to survive. Onward! 

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