The biker whizzed past me on the trail. I caught up with him about a half mile up trail. He must have had a slow leak in a tire. He stopped at the “Bicycle Fix It Station” and was pumping up his front tire. When the tire was fully inflated, he used an Allen Wrench that was attached to the station to tighten the screws on his seat and handlebars.
And like that, he was on his way again.



I couldn’t get the idea of the station out of my head. I had seen others like it, but hadn’t paid them much attention. This time it hit me. We all need a Fix It Station in life.
You’re run down. You’re running on fumes. You pull over to a station and get the breather you need. You need to tighten something. A screwdriver or wrench is right there for you to borrow. No cost. No fees. Just what you need. When you need it.
We have gas stations along the highway. You can’t walk a block without coming to a coffee shop to meet your every caffeinated whim. We have spas to get a massage. You need a weekend away, you plan a trip to the beach or mountains. But I’m thinking bigger than that.



Instead, I’m thinking about a Life Fix It Station and the things that inspire and mentally excite us:
–Nature.
–Friends and family.
–Books, Music and Movies.
–Surrounding ourselves with positive people.
–Exercise.
–Learning something new.
–Religion or sacred books.
What’s your Fix It Station? What replenishes your soul?
Discover more from Writing from the Heart with Brian
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Ah, I love this! I stop and fuel up my faith in nature…a cup of coffee ~ of course my family and pup! What a great article, Brian!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great choices Karla. Nature is my go-to choice as well. It always seems to work. Love that about getting out in the woods. It always seems to give me a new idea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Brian! You understand!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great list…all of your choices are perfect…on the nature front, I say sit at the edge of the water and stare out as the ocean slowly falls away in the distance, while the waves lap at your feet…pure serenity
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww, the perfect scene. I love it. Works every time for me. Love the ocean waves. Serenity. Peace. Creativity that I didn’t even realize were inside of me. All good stuff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reading always works for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, that’s one of the reasons why I’ve gotten back into reading. I feel like I lost that and wanted to get it back. Damn cellphone, another reason I hate it. Ha, ha.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Did you see Jessica Gross column in NY Times today? Interesting on reading via cell phone ban in schools
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll have to check out the story. Her kiddos tend to be younger, but I know from other teacher friends, especially with those in higher grades, that it can be a real problem. As a parent, you want your kids to have them in event of emergency, but from an education standpoint, they need their undivided attention on what’s happening in the classroom. Ugh, this sounds like an LA question of the day! (If you haven’t already touched on this.) Ha, ha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
She writes of an interesting cultural.pount….apparently some school libraries are seeing an uptick in books being checked out
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great concept, Brian! For me, it’s time in nature and nice cup of tea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good choices Erin. I think I need to step away from this laptop, grab a cup of tea and go outside. Ha, ha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
⭐️🤓
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reading. 🙂 : ) 🙂
LikeLike
Lovely post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww, thank you. It just hit me that we need more stations like in regular, every day life. Ha, ha.
LikeLike
Love this! Life is beautiful and magical, we just need to open our eyes to it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good advice. I need to look up and open my eyes more often. There’s magic out there. Just need to look for it. Ha, ha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My weekly spa afternoon and nature replenish my soul!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my goodness, I think I need that this week. Ha, ha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This post is my fix-it station. Such an incredible analogy, Brian. Thanks for the reminder to tighten my screws and put some more air in my tires!
LikeLiked by 1 person
As my big foot blog last week shows …. I have a few screws and marbles for that matter loose upstairs! Instead of taking in the scene, maybe I should’ve looked to see if the Allen wrench worked on my brain!!! Ha ha! 🚲🚲🔧🔧🔧🤭🤭🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️😎😎😎😎😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this metaphor! Life definitely needs more ‘Fix It Stations.’ For me, nature walks, reading a good book, and connecting with friends are my go-to stations. They recharge me, help me refocus, and remind me that it’s okay to pause and take care of myself before moving forward again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That really is half the battle … letting ourselves take a step back and take care of ourselves. Thank you David. 😎
LikeLike
My son had fix it stations at UC Santa Barbara, but I’ve never seen one anywhere else. I love your idea of fix it stations for life. The closest I’ve seen are the little library stations in neighborhoods where you can take or leave books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have a bunch of old rails to trails here where they’ve put in fix it stations but they’re not always as nice as the one I saw the other day. This looked like it was pretty new. I like your suggestion about the lil library stations. I forgot about them. They’re always cool when you come across one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍🏼
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the idea of a Life Fix It Station, and what a clever post, Brian! I think your list sums it up for me too. Maybe add coffee, chocolate, and wine (all at appropriate moments), and a dog. 🐶❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh a dog!!! How could I forget!!! Perfect!! Ha ha🎉🤣🤣😎😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh a life fix it station is such a brilliant and much needed idea, Brian!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wouldn’t it be great. You’re commuting to work, not feeling so great. Pull into a fix it station, someone hands you a coffee, maybe takes you to a room that leads directly to the woods or a waterfall. When you feel like yourself again, they hand you a snack and smile and tell you to come back again soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our own small pitstops to rejuvenated and recalibrate…lovely
LikeLiked by 1 person
Recalibrate! That’s a good word for it. At least for me. I need those little reminders of what’s right in the world and what’s most important to us. Thank you Nimi. 😊😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
My Fixit Station better dispense cocktails and provide soothing back rubs, otherwise, what’s the point?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Umm, mine does. Ha, ha. I’m thinking the perfect old fashioned or whiskey sour. How’s that Mark? Sound like a good fix it station?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s like your fix it station is speaking my language!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice article. Today, crazy as it seems, I would be inspired by a clean house. It never seems to happen before I run out of steam.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey a nice clean house . . . that’s something big. There’s some days where I would definitely want that. Ha, ha. 😎😎😎😎
LikeLike
My Fixit Station for children (they need a lot) is a smile. I cannot tell you how wonderful and powerful a smile is for children.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They know what’s important!!!😎😎😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, they do!
LikeLiked by 1 person