We have this ritual at our house.  I mow the lawn and my wife comes out and says those words I’ve worked 90 minutes to hear, “The lawn looks nice.”  It happens like magic. And if she happens to forget to say something I gently remind her with, “How’s the lawn look?”  Then she says, “It looks nice.”  During the spring, when we get lots of rain it might be twice a week that I get to hear those words.  It’s almost like I mow the lawn just so I can get the compliment.

But, I think the neighbors enjoy it too when I mow the lawn because of the entertainment it brings them.  I’m sure they think I’m out of my mind, which may be true. It takes about 90 minutes to mow. And I mow it with a push mower. I think I’m the only person in the county with a yard the size of mine that doesn’t use a riding mower. I might be imagining that I think the neighbors think I’m crazy for using a push mower, but it’s just the feeling that I get when I see them call their children out to the front porch and they all sit, and stare, and point fingers, and laugh in my direction while I mow.  As the weather turns warmer they just stay in their air conditioned house and gather around their front window with the curtains open. It never bothers me that they are having a cool glass of lemonade while I sweat buckets of water.  I’m just happy to bring joy into any life that accepts it.

But the truth is I really do enjoy mowing the lawn. It gives me exercise, I get to be out in the sunshine, and I really just love the feeling I get from doing something that I can stand back and enjoy how nice it looks when it’s all done.  Once or twice a week I get to take something that’s messy and turn it into something that’s neat and clean. I like that feeling.  For me, cleaning is meditation. And neatness, cleanliness, and organization around me reflects what I’m trying to be inside. There’s a peaceful strength that comes in creating that kind of environment.