Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / luissantos84
I rolled the rented aerator out of the back of my pick-up and onto my driveway. Standing tall to stretch my lower back, I noticed the cloudless blue sky overhead. It was the perfect spring day. The wind had whipped through earlier, drying the soggy ground, making it possible for me to work on my lawn a bit earlier than previous years.
Reaching over, I pulled the chord and the aerator sprung to life. I turned the heavy machine and began plugging my lawn in long swipes. As I worked, I daydreamed about how good my lawn was going to look this summer and then about all the fun plans I had for backyard slip-n-slides and picnics and bonfires. I suppose that’s the great thing about manual labor—when your hands and feet are busy with a repetitive task, your mind is free to wander.
Eventually, I finished and ran the aerator over to my neighbor who was splitting the rental cost with me. He got started and I went to raking—cleaning up the clumps of dirt along with all the other debris the harsh winter had deposited in my yard.