The Daily Question
“The Daily Question” from grateful.org arrives in my inbox every morning. Today’s question: “What everyday activity can I approach with a spirit of play today?”
Yard work. It’s not every day, but I’ve never liked it. I would rather paint, which I really don’t like to do, than yard work. There isn’t a rational explanation. As a child, I was introduced to the lawnmower, pushing it with Pop. Once big enough to push the mower by myself and be trusted with this dangerous equipment, it became my Saturday chore until I left home for college. On Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons, yard work was a family experience, and nothing else could be done until it was done, weather permitting. We didn’t have a park-like, manicured lawn or a botanical-garden-kind-of backyard. But my parents took pride in keeping the yard neat, some flowers, as if that was hospitality for the neighbors. An achievement of entering a middle-class lifestyle in America.
I’m an outdoors person. In our married life, we’ve been cave dwellers (apartment or condo renters) and home owners. I need to have some outdoor space, a yard, to wander around. Walking barefoot in the grass that first warm day of spring is a good day. Our neighborhood has covenants that define what homeowners can and can’t do to their home and yard without HOA approval.
Yes, I could hire someone to mow my yard, but yard work is, currently, one form of exercise for me. So, I have an electric mower and trimmer. I spend 45 minutes keeping the yard neat. I’ve planted flowers and vegetables. There is some satisfaction in sitting in the shade with sweet tea when the job is done. I still don’t like it, but I get it.