Leaf blower!
My neighbor Marvin, now 90 years young, is still a lawn freak. My friend Bill is a lawn freak — cuts his grass diagonally in each direction to get that perfect cross-hatch pattern. One look at our yard will tell you that . . . I am not a yard freak.
I mentioned in my Halloween post that I do not rake leaves until after Halloween. It’s my tradition. I believe that children should have to kick a patch through a crunchy bed of leaves to get to our door. A rite a passage, if you will. Another reason I don’t rake leaves until after Halloween is that I am a procrastinator. That, and I detest raking leaves. Why not just let them do what they have been doing for thousands and thousands of years: falling, decomposing, making more earth. In fact, seems to me that raking leaves is in conflict with Old Mother Nature!
Having said that, I live in a neighborhood. And neighborhoods should be neat and tidy. So, this is the weekend I chose to rake the leaves.
If there is one thing I detest more than raking leaves, it’s the sound of neighbors’ hi-tech leaf blowers, leaf vacs, and leaf mulchers. Besides, raking leaves should be a man’s war fought with a man’s rake! Rake a pile, wipe the sweat off your brow, look around at the yard and wonder if you’ll ever win this battle. My god, there’s football on and naps to take!
But something happened this year that I completely forgot about until I went to find my trusty rake. There, in the shed, was the brand new lawn mower I purchased in the spring after our 30 plus year-old mower finally bit the dust. This state-of-the-art lawnmower included a mulching platform and, and a bag! Plus, right next to it, was a WORX leaf vac / blower I had purchased because I realized way back in spring that I would probably be sick of yard work and want to “modernize.”
As you’ve probably guessed, I’m the one who broke the Sunday morning tranquility!
My Carpe Diem Life System promotes choosing your goal, making an action list, picking the best resources (tools), persistent action, evaluating your situation, chasing direction if need be, improving, enjoying the process, and never forgetting that it’s my life — my leaves that need to be raked!
Yes, you can say that when it comes to raking this year, I have turned a new leaf! (Well, more like blowing, mulling, and bagging!)
It is said that you should never judge a man unless you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. Now I say, don’t judge a man until you’ve raked your yard using his hi-tech yard tools. Work smarter, not harder. A Carpe Diem Life lesson taught to me by my 90-year old neighbor. Thanks, Marvin.
Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn
CarpeDiem-Life.com
P.S.
An added benefit? Innovation and modernization give you extra time to turn on a football game and take a nap on the couch!
No comments:
Post a Comment