We’re in the middle of our renovation. We started strong, full of energy and excited. But after several days of work and mess and water being turned off and the washing machine not hooked up, we’re a little weary. We’re in the middle of the project and that’s the least exciting place to be.

The middle is where the work happens. It’s the plodding, unexciting, I-just-want-to-be-done-with-this place. It’s the nine-to-five, the halfway point in a long journey, the daily grind. It’s where the squishy, uncomfortable, not-so-fun stuff happens. The monotony.

The middle is the fourth day of scraping the old cement floor in the basement bathroom

Even in the middle, though, there are moments. The finishing of the living/dining room floor. It looks beautiful. The visits during “coffee break”. The fun of seeing the bathroom floor taking shape. The joy of a hot bath after two days of no water. The silliness that comes with monotony and tiredness, like the rule that anyone working in the basement bathroom must speak with a Scottish accent.

In the middle, I think, it’s important to stop for a break now and then. A mini Sabbath. A moment to look up from your work and catch your breath. To pause and sit and gather strength.

And while you’re in the middle, don’t forget to celebrate the small victories along the way.

A few more days of The Middle, I think, and then The End will come rushing at us, like a plane landing or a baby birthing. A final flourish.

But today, well, today is another middle day. Most days are.

Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory.

Ghandi

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