green therapy

Mowing the lawn is my therapy. I mowed my first lawn as a newlywed and have been cutting grass ever since. To save money on rent, Tim and I decided to accept the management position at our first married complex. We continued to manage apartments during the rest of our tenure in Provo, and mowing the grass was always part of the deal. Let's just say that I became quite skilled and OCD in the ways of grass cutting.

Mowing is mind-numbingly easy. The hardest part for me is just trying to get the dang mower to start. But once the machine is up and running, there really isn't any way to stop me. I love creating crisp, straight lines in the lawn and usually go over and over an area until I am satisfied with the way it looks. While some people like to make designs or patterns in their grass, I am happy as can be with horizontal lines.

Because the task is so easy on the brain, I find myself getting lost in the lines. Back and forth, back and forth I go until the lawn is completely trimmed and neat. It took me a little over an hour to cut both the front and back yards tonight, and although my back was aching towards the end...I found the whole process therapeutic. I think baby girl liked the sound of the mower because she was bouncing all over the place and finally found rest when the machine stopped.

I'm fairly certain my neighbors think Tim is a deadbeat husband. Obviously, he is far from that but I received multiple quizzical looks and scowls as I completed my task. Tim had taken the girls to get an oil change on one of our cars and had hoped I'd take a bath or lie down, but no...I didn't do either. When he arrived home, he just shook his head at me knowing a person of my current stature really shouldn't have been out pushing a clunky, old lawn mower. But the thing I love about Tim is that even though he doesn't totally approve of my therapy choice, he hasn't told me not to do it. He knows I know what my body can handle, and he trusts me. I also thinks he is secretly happy that the chore won't be waiting for him this weekend. (He's probably rolling his eyes in regards to that comment, but I know it's true.)

What chore is therapeutic for you? Just curious.