Maintenance
The most underrated thing you can do for yourself.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of maintenance.
Not the kind with tools and a toolbox.
The other kind.
Writing.
Side projects.
Music.
Helping friends with little media things.
Cleaning up files scattered across about ten different places on my computer.
And lately I’ve been going through old photographs.
My father passed away a few years ago, and when that happened there were a couple old bins sitting in the garage filled with family photos. I remember saying, Alright, I’ll take those.
Well… I finally started going through them.
And somewhere in the middle of that I realized something kind of funny.
I’ve accidentally built a small museum of my life.
Old pictures.
Old letters.
Band flyers.
VHS tapes.
CDs.
Random things that somehow survived all these years.
So lately I’ve been sorting through all of it.
Decluttering.
Scanning things.
Trying to bring a little order to the chaos.
And while I was doing that, I kept seeing my father.
That’s bound to happen when you start digging through old photographs.
He shows up everywhere.
Fixing something.
Holding a tool.
Standing next to something he had just repaired.
My father was always taking care of something.
The house.
The car.
The yard.
The gutters.
The family.
Seventies dad stuff.
He worked his balls off all day, and then came home and worked some more just keeping life running.
And it got me thinking about something we don’t talk about very much.
Upkeep.
Nobody grows up dreaming about becoming “the maintenance guy.”
It sounds routine.
A little dull.
The boring part of life.
But the older I get, the more I realize it might actually be the most important work there is.
Everything needs tending.
Cars need oil changes.
Houses need repairs.
Gardens need weeding.
If you stop taking care of things, they don’t just freeze in place.
They slowly start to fall apart.
Life works the same way.
Our bodies need attention.
Our minds need attention.
Our relationships need attention.
You go to the gym.
You go to therapy.
You take a long walk.
You get some sleep.
You sit quietly on the couch and just breathe for a while.
It’s all part of keeping things running.
And sometimes that care comes from other people.
When I was recovering from my transplant, I learned that in ways I never would have noticed before.
Doctors and nurses spend their days keeping people alive — adjusting things, checking things, making sure the system keeps working.
But they need a little upkeep too.
Sometimes the best thing you can do as a patient is simply be kind.
Say thank you.
Show a little gratitude.
And sometimes the same thing works in reverse.
A friend showing up with a coffee and a piece of lemon cake.
A random text message.
A quick phone call from someone you barely know saying they’re thinking about you.
Those small moments can lift your spirits through the roof.
Maybe that’s part of the work too.
People helping people keep going.
The older I get, the more I realize I shouldn’t resent these routines.
I actually depend on them.
Taking care of things.
Tidying things up.
Checking in with myself.
The truth is everything we care about survives because someone keeps tending to it.
Maintenance.
Maybe today that looks like a long run.
Maybe it’s going to bed early.
Maybe it’s sitting outside for ten minutes and letting the sun hit your face.
Maybe it’s turning your phone off and doing absolutely nothing for a while.
Whatever it is — do it.
Give yourself a little tune-up.
You might be surprised how good it feels.
Awesome Tim, two things come to mine. God needs attention, he will tend to you if you listen carefully.
Very moving Tim 🙏👍