How is it, I wonder, that on a day when I was basically unproductive for twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes, I feel a greater sense of accomplishment than on days when I have my hands on the keyboard for eight, ten or twelve hours? Maybe I’m in the wrong profession. Or maybe it’s just that I’ve never done much physical work, never had an outside job. That’s probably why any small task I can do that requires strength, stamina or merely a bit of energy, is so satisfying.

This could be the start of something, too, and that makes it an even greater milestone. I think all I needed was a little momentum, and what that requires is a first step. So this morning I managed somehow to shove myself out the door and out to the garage for the cordless mower that starts every time on the first try (no excuses there). It’s been so long since I’ve used it that you couldn’t tell I ever did, but for some reason I’ve put off getting started again. Today I ran out of reasons not to mow, so I mowed.

Naturally, I didn’t last long. I’m out of shape, and the grasses are too high to do very much at one time. But I went up and down the center strip of the driveway, since that’s where I notice the growth the most, every time I drive in or out. And I took out another little patch of high weeds out in the back.

I don’t pretend that what little I did today made much of a dent in the problem, but now that I’ve done that much, I have to keep the momentum going. The only way to do that is to get out there again tomorrow, no matter what. There will never be a time when there’s nothing to do in the yard, but there will always be lurking excuses for not doing it. That’s what I have to overcome, and I got a jump start on it today.

I had to slow down while I was mowing, to let a snake get out of my way. It was lucky I didn’t run over it with the mower, because it was in the middle of the center strip, just hanging out. I know it knew I was coming, because it made a sudden motion that caught my attention. Otherwise, I might not have even seen it. I thought it would scoot off under the fence and out of harm’s way, but it froze, for a few seconds. So I got a little closer with the mower and it finally got the message and took off.