I went out to tackle a yard full of fallen leaves today. After some cooler Thanksgiving weather, a light snowfall, and a day of drizzle and rain, I finally had a clear, basically windless morning to grab my rake, plug in my blower, and start the task of clearing the yard and getting the leaves to the curb.
After raking the leaves from the garden beds and sidewalks in front of the house, I connected the extension cords and started the long, arduous process of blowing the leaves. As I sit on a corner lot, it’s not as straightforward as simply starting near the house and heading toward the curb. You actually have to tack back and forth the way a sailor sails into the wind. Blow to the left a little…blow them back to the right a little…blow them back to the left a little…and so on.
As you start making progress you gain some momentum. Seeing green grass below that thick blanket of auburn-colored leaves gives you some energy. Knowing your efforts are being rewarded is a great motivator to continue working hard.
The last few sections of the lawn are eventually cleared and the pile of leaves begins to nestle into their waiting spot in the curb, where the city leaf-collection crews will come by soon to suck them up and clear the gutters. The blower is put away and the rake is hung back up on the pegboard in the garage. The extension cords get rolled back up and stored back in their place.
The job is done…for now.
Until you look up in the two tall oak trees in the front lawn and notice that there are still thousands of leaves waiting to fall on the freshly cleared lawn.
This weekend’s experience had me thinking about…
10 Lessons from the Leaves…
- When it’s time to tackle an activity, to-do list, or job, it’s smart to set aside the time you’ll need and to visualize what the result will look like when you’re done.
- It’s important to have the right tools.
- A little prep work helps make the actual job easier.
- Sometimes the work might seem monotonous, but hard work usually is. Finding a repeatable system can help make the hard work a little easier.
- Finding little victories is a key to getting through the challenges.
- Push through to the end. Always finish strong.
- Clean up after yourself.
- Never be too busy to sit back and admire your work.
- It won’t take long before there are a few more “fallen leaves” on your lawn. Done is better than perfect.
- Always remember there will be more challenges and opportunities coming your way. Keep your head up to see them so you’ll be ready.