Day 42: Build a bike

Have you ever put together a kid’s bike before?  I’ve dodged that bullet for the last 10 years.  Dave and Yvette put together Brooks’ bike and Mason has had nothing but hand-me-downs.  I believe this is Mason’s very first new bike.  Today the 10 year streak of not putting a bike together is coming to an end.  

Day 32 I tackled the John Deere Home Maintenance Kit.  You should check out that blog if you are thinking about getting a riding lawn mower.  That is something that is suppose to be done every year.  With the completion of that and all the work I’ve been doing with the pool this is a welcome change.   I usually like to avoid things and procrastinate, but I jumped right on the bike project on Sunday night once the boys were in bed.  I started putting the bike together at 9:15 pm in my living room with a headlamp on.  I worked on it for 26 minutes until I got to the part where it said grab your partner do-si-do.  There comes a point where you need someone to hold it upright so you can adjust the brake calipers and pull the brake line taut.   So Bree helped me finish it Monday morning.  We did the brakes, seat, and pedals.  Then Bree took it out on the driveway to do a safety test. 

Our Ring Security System captured a cute video of Mason running up to his brand-new bike once he got home on Monday.  It made the extra effort on Sunday night worth it.  

Even without Buffet Year, I would’ve spent the time building Mason’s bike. But the cool thing is that even the mundane “new things” are reframed through the lens of my Buffet Year commitment. I am doing new things daily - some may be adventurous, some may be spiritually fulfilling and some activities are downright boring, but by seeing it through my commitment to Buffet Year, I can more clearly see the growth and learning that comes from it all.