Our Roomba reminded us about pausing… and the college search

Recharging. Taking a break. Vacation. Sharpening the saw (for those who are Covey fans).

But do we all do it enough?

I don’t think so—and today I was reminded of the importance of recharging by none other than our new Roomba.

Backstory: we bought a Roomba in 2020 during the pandemic as an Amazon Prime deal. We named it Rowdy the Roomba, in honor of beloved and not forgotten inflatable Purdue mascot Rowdy.

Here is our son James with Rowdy in December 2020—Rowdy was bringing JOY everywhere!

There are times that I have joked that Rowdy works harder at cleaning than some people (ahem… sons) in our home. The Rowdy we purchased in 2020 often got lost, couldn’t find his way home, and perhaps the low point was when I received a notice that Rowdy’s battery had died. I was in a Zoom meeting upstairs, and Rowdy’s domain is downstairs.

Once my meeting finished, I went on a search for Rowdy—and it took at least ten minutes to find him hiding in a corner. That really felt like an indictment on our cleanliness when you lose the Roomba.

Rowdy still persevered, and despite his directional challenges, kept chugging along. After six good years together, Rowdy experienced “error 14,” and despite watching several YouTube videos, cleaning parts with alcohol swabs and Q-tips, and trying all the things… we realized Rowdy was ready to be retired.

We ordered a replacement Roomba, and it arrived on Easter Sunday from Amazon. I am certain there is a metaphor there about a Roomba arriving on Easter Sunday, but let’s just unbox the Roomba.

I worked from home on Easter Monday. We are still discussing names—I am loyal and partial to Rowdy, but two of our sons said, “If your pet dies, you don’t just name the new pet the same name.” Perhaps Rowdy Junior?

This new Rowdy has an updated app, and the mapping feature is much more elaborate than our previous Roomba. Rowdy is learning the lay of the land and has mapped the first floor (Rowdy is a downstairs pet… er, I mean Roomba).

Rowdy was diligently cleaning, and the app said he was at 28% battery. All of a sudden, I heard:

“Low battery. Returning to dock to charge.”

Frustrated and thinking to myself, “Come on, Rowdy, you still have 28%,” I decided to wait and see what happened next. I was also in the middle of a work project, and a dim Roomba was not going to take away from my day.

About 45 minutes later, I heard:

“Battery charged. Resuming.”

And Rowdy restarted his route—cruising to the exact spot where he had previously gotten tired and jumped right back in.

I didn’t have to prompt him or reset the app. He just knew he was tired and needed to recharge. Go back to his home base to rest and recoup.

And I can appreciate that. I admire that.

My Roomba seems to do better with self-care than I do.

For all of us who run our batteries until there is nothing left, let’s take a moment to pause and think about Rowdy and what we can learn.

Because right now—especially in the college process—it can feel like you have to keep going. Keep researching. Keep comparing. Keep deciding.

But what if, like Rowdy, we trusted the pause?

What if stepping away for a bit—taking a walk, having a conversation, or just giving yourself a little space—actually helped you come back with more clarity?

We see it all the time with students. The moment they stop trying to force the decision is often the moment things start to click.

The right fit becomes clearer. The pressure quiets. The path forward feels more like a choice—and less like a race.

Turns out, even in the college search, a little recharge goes a long way.

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