I am grateful for yard work and the blessings it has brought to me in my life. One of those precious moments occurred again this past weekend. On Saturday my sister and her husband had to travel to attend the wedding of a dear friend, it would be an all day affair. They didn’t want to bore their four children by dragging them along so they asked me to play chauffeur and keep an eye on them. I was happy to do so.

I was picking the boys up from their gymnastics practice and heading back to their house when I asked them if they wanted to grab the other two siblings and join me in our fall leaf leaping party? They were intrigued. “What was a leaf leaping party?” they asked. “Are you kidding me, haven’t you ever jumped, leaped, pounced and played in the fall leaves?” They shook their heads no. Derek the oldest of the two boys suspiciously asked “Hey, is this a trick to get us to rake leaves?” I was truthful “It’s not a trick, but yes you will have to rake some leaves to get them into a huge pile. The bigger the pile the more fun it is. You get to run and jump and dive into leaves, disappear and reappear again.” They pondered but agreed. I guess their curiosity got the best of them and they all headed to my house to gather leaves into a pile.

It didn’t take long before a large pile of leaves began to accumulate. They stood waiting, wondering what to do next. I grabbed the 2 year old and gently tossed him into the center where he disappeared and emerged with a big smile. Their eyes got wide with delight as I prompted them to run and jump. They did. They spent the afternoon jumping, sliding, racing and tossing each other into the leaves. They were happy to help rake more and more leaves into the pile so that they could jump from the tree. I smiled at their delight. I had come a long way too. It wasn’t that long ago that I resented yard work and all that it symbolized.

I had purchased the house with the beautiful yard after my divorce without remembering that I was on my own to maintain it. Every time I went to mow or weed I was reminded that I was on my own to care for the house, the yard and 5 children. I was attached to the perception that I should care for the inside of the house and a man should care for the yard. I felt no gratitude for my situation. My resentment was robbing me of my peace. I had some work to do to change my perception.

I remembered that the law that governs Gratitude is the Law of Non-Attachment. I started to notice that some of my neighbors who had husbands still mowed their yard. I asked why? The answers varied, some wanted to save money, some really enjoyed being outside, some wanted more time with their spouses. I was attached to a perception that a spouse was supposed to do yard work. When I let go of my attachment to the way I thought things ought to be or use to be. I discovered I did enjoy being outside. I learned how to edge, trim bushes get rid of snails. I began to feel really good about the beauty I could create in my yard. Working in the yard became a symbol of my ability to adapt and take care of myself. I am now grateful that I have a beautiful yard I can maintain. I enjoy being able to work in the yard and enjoy convincing others to join me.

To learn more about how you can adapt and transform your world contact Cassie.