"Not a day goes by when I'm not having a good time!" JCPL volunteer Michel says. "People here are so friendly and welcoming. It doesn't matter what kind of work you do, the staff is very friendly to each other and the volunteers. You can be yourself and kid around — I always come here with a lot of pleasure."
Michel began volunteering at Columbine Library just over a year ago after two bouts of long COVID forced him into early retirement.
"One of the Pages who works here mentioned how much she enjoys working at the Library," Michel explains. "I've always been a big reader, and I love going to the Library in general. I sometimes came here just to relax after work, so it was very natural for me to transition into volunteering."
Volunteering has also benefitted Michel in his recovery process.
"I started out slowly just to get my stamina up and get my brain working," he says. "I notice that shelving is getting easier and is helping retrain my brain and how I process information — especially in the nonfiction section when I'm looking at very long numbers."
The staff at the Columbine have quickly grown to appreciate Michel's humor and work ethic.
"Michel is always eager to help and has been increasing his volunteer hours lately at the Library," Columbine Operation Manager Gordon says. "He brings a positive attitude, is a hard worker, and challenges us to keep up with him. He also will bring us treats from his home country of the Netherlands."
"The town I was born in is Gouda — I'm the original cheese head," Michel laughs. "Cheese is a huge part of our culture, and in Holland, 3-, 5-, or 7-year-old cheese is normal."
When Michel first moved to the U.S., he went looking for cheese at the supermarket and asked for the oldest cheese they had.
"They said it was super sharp and aged forever, but it was only aged for 12 months," he says. "For us, aged 12 months is a very mild cheese. In the Netherlands, I used to eat cheese that, just by looking at it, it would crumble."
As a young boy, Michel moved to Dordrecht, a historic city in South Holland.
"Europe has a very, very rich history," Michel explains. "The city walls in Dordrecht were built in the 1200s."
Michel can often be found lingering in the travel section of Columbine. While he hasn't traveled recently due to COVID, he looks back fondly on some of his favorite adventures.
"I really like the nature and the animals of Hawaii and the mountains, history and culture of Austria and Switzerland," Michel remembers. "Growing up in Holland, you have a lot of vacation time and time to travel. My wife is American, but I've seen more states than she has!"
One of Michel's other passions, photography, originated from his love of travel during the early 1980s.
"I traveled through Europe quite a lot and always took my camera with me," he says.
A few years ago, Michel wanted to try something different and began experimenting with infrared photography.
"The funny thing is, infrared is not an easy form of photography," he explains. "You have to have a special camera and equipment, edit all your photos, and for a long time, I was struggling to get the right colors and editing. I rented books from the Library, watched videos and tried everything to get it right."
Multiple JCPL locations have displayed Michel's art over the years. At Golden Library, Michel recalls one photo in particular: On the Fence, Off the Fence, of two chipmunks, one sitting, the other "Diving off with his legs outstretched."
"One of the librarians came up to me and told me she had to look twice at this picture," Michel says. "It just made her laugh. Her saying that made my day!"
When he's not practicing photography or volunteering at JCPL, Michel spends his time caring for his pet rabbits and parakeets. He and his wife currently have three bunnies, each pampered with their own indoor suite of bunny-proofed rooms.
"They are a huge part of our lives," he says. "Our first bunny we got at a pet store for free because he was the last one in the litter. Since then, all our bunnies have been rescues."
Once, while caring for a rescued bunny with paralyzed back limbs, Michel noticed that their parakeet would sound an alarm any time the bunny would get stuck on one of the pillows buffering his enclosure. He was fascinated by the bonds animals can form and the attentiveness of their parakeet to another species' discomfort.
"I'm still always learning something!" Michel says with a smile.
We are amazed by Michel's inquisitive mind, his drive to challenge himself and his easy-going humor. Thank you for volunteering, Michel!