Shade Tree Wisdom – Done 9/26/07

The walk was really pleasant this morning. Not even a dog barked to shatter the quiet, and there was a nice, cool, breeze to cool the brow. But I did notice one item to sort of mar the perfection of the hour. Leaves on the driveway.

We do have shade trees that give nice shade when the sun is hot, but they do drop their leaves, and these sort of clutter the drive and lawn and need to be swept or blown or raked away if we want to have some appearance of order and neatness.

So I got out the blower, and went to work. In short order I had them piled into a pile and stuffed into the container. And the finished job gave me real satisfaction. Like a workman that needed not be ashamed of his handiwork. It looked neat and tidy. Mother would have approved.

In the afternoon when I stepped out to get the mail the driveway and lawn were filled with scattered leaves again! I knew that would happen. But that did not keep me from that feeling of satisfaction in the morning when I had cleaned them the first time.

That brings me, finally, to what I want to say about life. When the Psalm shouts, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice, and be glad in it”, he means just that. Enjoy doing what lies close at hand. Don’t be one who goes through life always either worrying about what lies ahead or fretting about what wasn’t done yesterday.

I knew I would have to clean leaves again. They don’t fall on my schedule. I have to fit that into their schedule. So allow me the joy of standing there, looking at the clean drive and lawn, and giving thanks for being able to do it with satisfaction. OK? Try it to find satisfaction daily.

GPD 9/26/07