Raising the roof

Have you ever had something sitting around unopened in your foyer for weeks? 

My bike rack was sitting unopened for a good month this fall. 

In my mind, my bike rack was going to be installed prior to a trip to Richmond.

But that trip came and went. I was preparing for a backpacking trip at the same time and I realized it wasn’t realistic 3 days prior to my trip to get ready for that trip and getting the roof rack installed. 

I gave myself the grace to let the rack sit and wait. 

Then, I was going to install it for a trip to Gettysburgh, so I could ride among the iconic battlefields.

With family in town, staying at my apartment, I realized the priority wasn’t installing the rack, it was spending quality time with family. So, I let go of the hope that I was going to go biking in Gettysburg and instead embraced catching up with loved one.

I gave myself the grace to let the rack sit and wait. 

And then finally in November, I had to get my bike to Arlington for a workshop and the time was ripe. I had a Thursday morning with some spacious time. I cracked open my laptop and watched the Youtube tutorial and then dragged the rack to my garage and (cue Mariah Carey)... made it happen. 

It was a relief. 

It took a bit more time than I had anticipated. 

But it was also fun to install the rack. My hands and body, following steps then suddenly had a new way to carry my bike. There were new open possibilities for my life. 

I had “raised the roof(rack)!” 

December feels like one of those months where boxes, mail and life can pile up. Trips are on the horizon and there can be so much packing and tying up loose ends before calling in the new year. 

Perhaps, you might want to install that metaphorical roof rack. 

Perhaps, you might want that box that’s taking up space in your foyer to go away. 

And perhaps part of you starts to think You are a procrastinator, being lazy, or disorganized letting something lay in waiting. 

But perhaps, there’s a different possibility you are holding? That your to-do list has a different priority.  

That something else might need to take priority.

You are just raising the roof on another aspect of your life. 

May you give yourself that grace!

Wheels up, 

Ellen