Loving the Half-Done Messy Life
For what it’s worth, I want to remind you (and myself) that mess is the evidence of a life being lived.
This past week handed us a handful of chaos: a kidney stone, a car that died mid-drive, a laundry room turned construction zone, and enough socks scattered through the house to fill a donation bin. And yet, somewhere in all of that, there was laughter. There was music. There was family. There was proof of a life moving forward, even if it wasn’t tidy about it.
There’s toothpaste on the mirror, crumbs under the table, never ending dishes that have given up on - but there’s also dinner shared between rehearsals, bedtime snuggles, and the relief of one quiet evening at home.
I’m learning to love the half-done parts of life:
Projects that don’t quite get finished
Softener salt sitting in the breezeway, bc it’s heavy and hasn’t yet made it to the basement
Coffee cups and kid snacks forgotten in the car
Coats and sweatshirts draped over chairs and sitting on couches all over the house
Because those imperfect corners are where we actually live.
We spend so much time trying to perfect the picture that we forget to honor the realness underneath it - the messy, moldy, sometimes mouse-filled truth that says, we were here.
The good news is: All of this will pass.
My car will be repaired, and I’ll be driving again soon. Our basement will be treated for mold, and we’ll fix the leak - because that’s what you do to keep your family healthy in the home where you live. I’m grateful that we can take care of those things, and I don’t take that lightly.
Not everyone has that same safety net. A car repair or an ER visit can be catastrophic. A leaking basement or a broken appliance can send everything spinning. And that’s where community really matters.
That’s why The Village Collective exists - to help families who don’t have as many hands, resources, or savings to fall back on.
When things break, when the mess feels too big, we want people to know they aren’t alone. We want to help one another stay resilient - not just emotionally, but practically.
Because the truth is, this isn’t just a story about my messy week. It’s a reflection of what being human looks like - doing our best with what we have, talking honestly about the hard stuff, and holding space for others who are walking through it too.
Not many people talk openly about mold or mice or money stress, but how many of us are dealing with those things quietly, in one form or another? More than we realize.
So let’s keep building a village that makes room for honesty and help - a community that can laugh together, cry together, and show up for one another in the mess and in the mending.
Let’s keep going. Let’s keep being human. And let’s keep finding beauty - even in the half-done messy life.
A Moment to Reflect:
What parts of your life feel half-done right now - and what would it look like to find peace there, even before things are “fixed”?
Are there people around you who might need help with their version of the mess - a car repair, an ER bill, a leak they can’t afford to fix?
And who might you reach out to when you need a hand yourself?
Maybe this week, we can all take one small step toward each other - to offer a resource, a ride, a meal, or simply a kind word that says, you’re not alone.
Because we’re not meant to do this perfectly. We’re meant to do it together.
