Having a large annoying gum ball tree in the front yard and other more pleasant trees around the house, I got way behind in getting the yard cleaned up. So, yesterday, I spent 4+ hours getting it done. The kids helped me for two of those hours, and it was a good time for all of us...really. They did great...we worked together...accomplished a lot.
The last two hours was just me. Undistracted, all other sounds muffled by the engine of the lawn mower, I finished the job. The best part of it all was the solitude and reflection that comes with standing behind a lawn mower. Sure, this was just a couple of hours, but I needed it more than I realized. It energized me.
Coming off a crazy few days dealing with a lot of "noise", the yard work cleared my head. Since then, I feel more "present" with the people I am around. A while back I heard someone say, "You can't truly be with other people if you can't be by yourself." There's truth in that. It's in being by yourself that we realize we are really never alone. But, that's a whole other topic.
