Breathe some new life into your old machine

Karina and I have been religious about following the ‘KonMari’ method of only keeping things around us that truly bring joy.

Sock drawer… Items I love.

The tool shed… Items I love.

The glove box of my car… you guessed it. Items I love.

I will confess that my first mountain bike (pictured below) has been in the give-away pile, more than once.

Everytime I hop on for ‘one last ride, and end up doing a few ‘wheel skids’ and ‘wheelies’, then my clock rewinds twenty years and I am back…

• To the middle of the night ‘wheelie-crash’ in my Condominium courtyard feeling invincible at 3 am.

• or flying down the stairs in my University walk-up showing off in front of the boys.

• or heading off to Waterton with a new friend, no obligations and no responsibilities...

It seems as if the ol’ ride is here for the long haul.

Even though it makes no practical sense, I will keep adding parts, servicing, and repairing.

If for nothing more than to have a few more ‘Wheelie crashes’ in front of my own daughters.

So next time I am complaining about a cluttered shop, or impractical choices I’m going to grab the bars, hop on, put a few rotations on the wheels, and coast down memory lane.

Maybe we all need to give a little ‘grace’ to the things that take up impractical space in our own worlds. Give it a little acknowledgement and whisper a thank you.

And just like Marie Kondo would tell you, your gratitude to the item’s service will not go unheard.

• Now that’s a peak ethos.