I sat at my desk, in the still darkness of pre-dawn, remembering the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday, I was part of “She Nailed It,” Habitat For Humanity of the Lehigh Valley’s “all women, nail-hammering, relay competition,” which raises funds for affordable housing.
In 2012, when my friend, Betsy, invited me to join the HFH volunteer committee, I was immediately struck by the group’s sincerity. When “She Nailed It” was first conceived, we would never have realized that this concept would have an impact well beyond our area of Pennsylvania.
This year was unique. Our event was held outdoors for the first time, and we had a record-breaking thirty-five teams participating! Moving a traditionally held indoor event outside—with wind—changes things a bit (like my cards with all the team names blowing out of my hand); still, it was an incredible success due to a fantastic HFH staff and many committed volunteers.
Like reality, nothing is perfect because life—and humans—aren’t perfect. I’m sure I mispronounced some contestant names (despite my friend, Nora, and I talking to each team before the event started), but it was a beautiful outpouring of hope!
“Barn Raisers,” one of the teams from the faith community I’m part of, took first place! Someone said, “that makes sense; they build barns!” I explained that “The Barn” is the name of our church, but no one (that I know of) builds them (which made me smile because I believe Stephi, Sobey Maricel, and Barb could build barns!)
We, mere mortals, often tend to assess then judge, or look the other way, or avoid the imperfect, or seek the unseekable. We forget that—despite our differences—in the end, we are all the same: spirit energy, stuck in (mostly) clunky bodies with three-pound brains. We forget to look beyond what’s right in front of us.
I thought about how perfect the imperfection of life was yesterday.
Comradery amid intense competition and determination.
Humans joined in ear-splitting hammering and boisterous applause.
Resounding laughter, support, and love pounded out on our flawed planet.
Women standing together side-by-side, united for a cause.
And, yes, joy—
professed loudly in the passion, awareness, generosity, and support for the teams who hammered out their hearts for our beautiful, imperfect world.
Blessings,
Kay
peace full home®—intentional living 
I stumbled across your blog. Really enjoyed it! Love this sentence “I thought about how perfect the imperfection of life was yesterday.” Great outlook!
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Thank you so much, “themulliganlife.” I think we humans often seek the impossible: perfection. But, when we’re able to lean into the big picture and honor each moment, we experience so much more! ❤︎
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LOVE IT! Never doubt the power of women and what they can accomplish when they listen, brainstorm and work together! Out of a tiny seed a vision was born. I have wonderful memories of She Nailed It and am still in awe of it’s creative spirit. Way to go, ladies!!
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Amen! United women can change the world!
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