The Liminal Space: Surviving the Week Where Time Isn’t Real

You know the week. It’s that hazy stretch between December 26th and New Year’s Day. The leftovers are questionable, your internal clock is broken, and you’ve officially forgotten which day the Harrisonburg trash pickup happens. (It’s probably a day late. Check the city app.)

Lately, people have been calling this a "Liminal Space." It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it basically just means being "in-between." It’s that weird pause where you’ve left your 2025 reality behind, but the 2026 version of you hasn’t officially clocked in yet.

You’re in the hallway of the year. And honestly? Hallways are kind of our specialty.

The Magic of the "In-Between" in Real Estate

In the Harrisonburg real estate market, we live in the liminal space. It’s that period between the "For Sale" sign going up in a Rockingham County yard and the keys finally being handed over. It’s disorienting, a little sweaty, and full of "what ifs."

But here’s the secret: the "in-between" is where the best stuff happens. It’s where you realize you’ve outgrown your old space and start dreaming about buying a home in 2026. It’s where you stop doing and start noticing.

How to Use the Hallway (Without Losing Your Mind)

Since you’re already spending 22 hours a day inside, use this "nothing week" to do a soft audit of your current home:

• The Hosting Reality Check: Did you actually have enough room for the family dinner, or was Uncle Jerry backed into a corner by a Ficus plant?

• The "One Less Thing" Rule: You don’t need to deep-clean or "New Year, New Me" your entire house. Just find one junk drawer that annoys you and fix it. Win the day.

Escape the House: Local Harrisonburg Events

If the walls are closing in and the liminal space feels a little too... quiet, Harrisonburg, VA has a few ways to snap you back to reality:

• The NYE Glow Run: If you need to literally run toward the future, the NYE Glow Run 5K at Heritage Oaks Golf Course is the move. It’s bright, it’s loud, and it’s one of our favorite ways to see the community.

• The Pirate Plunge: On January 1st, head to Westover Pool for the Shiver Me Timbers plunge. Nothing ends a "transitional period" quite like jumping into unheated water in January.

• The Post-Ham Recovery: If you can’t look at another holiday roast, go see our friends at Jack Brown’s or Magpie. It’s the universal "I'm a human again" move for Valley locals.

Looking Forward: Your 2026 Real Estate Vision

We aren’t going to tell you to list your house today. Relax. But we are going to suggest that you pay attention to how your home makes you feel this week.

This is the most "honest" your house will ever be. No staging, no fancy candles—just you, the dog, and a mountain of wrapping paper tubes. If your "must-haves" list for your next Rockingham County home is starting to grow while you're sitting in the quiet, write it down while it’s fresh.

Whether you’re in between houses or just in between years, don't feel like you have to have it all figured out by Monday. Hallways are meant for walking through, not living in—but you can still enjoy the view while you're there.

Bottom line: Enjoy the quiet. Eat the weird leftovers. We’ll see you on the other side.