Friday Fieldwork – The Driveway Reset (or The Doorway Pause)

Whether you’re coming home from the gym, the office, or just closing down your laptop for the day…

That first moment back with your family matters.

You’ve probably still got your work brain on. Or you’re deep in recovery mode, calculating protein-to-carb ratios. Or maybe you’re just hoping no one asks you a question for five minutes.

I’ve been there, and still battle this daily.

In fact, this week I started being more intentional with what I call a daily reset—a moment before I walk through the door and straight into the wildness of of four boys, noises of both fake and real farts, and the inevitable wide range of emotions in the house.

Because the best way to get out of my own head isn’t more silence.

It’s connection.

Not a meditation app.

Not scrolling.

Not even finishing that perfect smoothie.

It’s being with my kids.

And to do that well, I’ve got to actually prepare for it.

So now, I use a specific location trigger—

The driveway.

The walk from the garage.

That pause before I turn the knob and open the door.

Because:

Presence doesn’t start when you walk through the door.
It starts with a pause before you open it.

Try this 3-Part Reset:

1. Notice AND drop the tension.

• Unfurrow your brow.

• Unclench your jaw.

• Relax your shoulders.

• (Any or all of those are signs you’re carrying something.)

• Set it down—for now.

2. Take a breath.

• A real one.

• The kind that tells your nervous system, “You’re safe. You’re here.”

3. Set your lens.

• Decide to be open.

• Even if you’re met with wildness, LEGOs, or a half-eaten lollipop.

• That might be the love language of the moment.

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Let this be your 10-second ritual. It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.

Because that flinch moment from Monday? It’s not failure. It’s feedback.

And grace lives right on the other side of it.

🧭 Missed Monday’s post? It features a ruck, a sucker, and a sticky lesson in love. Catch it here.