Air Flow

I finally had ceiling fans installed in our upstairs bedrooms this year.

We've lived in the house for almost two years already.

And always the air flow upstairs has been limited.

In the summer, especially on really hot days, it would feel like a losing battle to regulate the temperature between the downstairs where the thermostat is and upstairs, where the heat rises.

My boys would sleep with fans surrounding them, cranked up high because they would never leave their doors open to get the air flow from the hallway.

Teenagers prioritize their privacy over their comfort almost every time.

The sounds of running fans became the theme song on the upper level of our home.

For months, I talked about getting ceiling fans installed. If you ever visited and had a tour of the house, I'm sure that you heard about it.

How great would it be to have ceiling fans up here?

The air conditioning would circulate so much better!

And we could finally have overhead lighting too!

Since the fans have been installed, it's been a game changer.

I sleep better. The air smells fresher upstairs.

The ceiling fans are super quiet, so the noise level upstairs is reduced significantly.

Our bedrooms have more light.

And we have air flow now. The stale air gets circulated up and out and it just feels better.

I'm honestly not sure why I waited so long to make this happen.

Ceiling fans aren't all that expensive. And the boys' grandfather is amazing and willingly gave up several days to come over and put them in for us.

I had the resources and the time available to take care of this problem for us, but I chose to not prioritize it.

I chose to let it bother me every day for months. To be something that was always there, under my skin.

Sounds kind of silly when I say it out loud.

There are many examples of this in life. Not just in mine.

I think most people have their own "air flow" issues.

We let the little annoyances stick with us, until the air becomes stale.

We choose to complain about them, instead of doing something about it.

Sometimes it's because we would need to ask for someone else to help us.

I'm sure that was part of my issue.

I don't like to put other people out. Even if it means my life continues to be a little bit more difficult.

But the ironic thing is, most people enjoy helping other people.

We feel good about ourselves and our lives when we give to others.

That's part of the flow of life too.

Sometimes the fan blades pull the air up, and sometimes they push it down.

When we choose to prioritize solving for the things in our lives that make it less comfortable, we can start to feel the air flow again.

I challenge you, as we near the end of an extremely difficult year, to reflect on your own life.

What are you living with that's been annoying you for months?

It might be something tangible, like installing ceiling fans.

Or it might be something harder to see, but just as real.

There's always something you can do to solve these issues. If you choose to make them a priority.

Make a different choice as we wrap up this year.

Choose to face head-on the things that are restricting you.

Choose to increase your air flow.

And start to breathe freely again.