Somehow I guess my wife and I decided one wedding and three new jobs in 2014 wasn’t quite enough. We decided to add to the chaos by putting my house up for sale. I swear it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Since I’d been through a home purchase before and watched hours of HGtv, I assumed I was an expert at the process. I kept waiting for someone to show up with a camera crew, say things like “we can create a better flow by opening this up” and then cue the montage of demolition and workmen and then…  profit?

Reality, however, is harder than reality tv. After a storage unit rental and a lot of help from my parents, we were almost ready. One big item remained: exterior paint.

After all the procrastination I could afford, I found myself on a ladder with paint splattering on whatever I would soon regret wearing that day. My wife was so shocked to see me actually doing housework she came out just to take photos of me and post it online like a parent posting questionable art to a fridge door.

I put my paintbrush to the wide fascia boards just below the roof line. At first it was easy – long strokes and no finesse required but as I worked out from the center things got a little sloppy. I convinced myself that it would look OK from a distance. I was just being overly critical of myself so I kept to the easy middle.

It wasn’t until I took a break and saw my work from a distance that I realized how wrong I was. Every missing brushstroke was noticeable at the edges. The spot where I was nervous to paint near an electrical wire was glaring.

See, the paint on the board wasn’t wrong, but the paint job wasn’t right.

I climbed back up on the ladder with this new perspective and I thought about life while working on the edges. I believe I’m called to live life to the fullest – which means taking it to the edge. Going beyond the easy “comfort zone” of the middle and going to places that make me nervous. It’s not that living a comfortable life is wrong but it isn’t the right life I’m craving.

My mind wandered to how this would work in real life. Instead of giving a dollar to a homeless guy (easy brushstroke) I actually take time to talk to him (woah, hang on now).  Maybe instead commenting on a facebook status, I call a friend I’ve been holding a grudge against. Maybe instead of praying for someone to be blessed, I look for a way to be a blessing to them.

I’m still discovering examples in my life where I stay in my comfort zone and convince myself that it’s good enough. But just like the paint on my house, it’s obvious when I don’t take it to the edge.

You’re watching from a distance so if you see me miss a spot – let me know.