Playing outside

Written January 2010

     It’s been cold and gloomy here, which is not surprising weather for the weeks surrounding Christmas. It is easy to get into the habit of staying inside cooking, organizing and curling up in front of the fire with a good book or movie.

     Yesterday right in the middle of this mid-winter routine we experienced a warming trend. What a gift to be given an unexpected sunny warm spring day right in the middle of January. The thermometer rose to nearly 70 degrees and I couldn’t wait to get out in the yard and rake some leaves, remove all the dead plants and turn over the soil. 

     I didn’t realize how much I needed a day like this until I was outside enjoying it. Certainly we don’t get this excited about the routine yard chores in the summer and fall when we are required to do them on a regular basis. 

     This balmy, breezy day made being outside and working feel like a celebration. I thought about what a good workout I had just had. The progress I made gave me a feeling of satisfaction. Even the areas I had not attended to yet served only to make the groomed sections seem more neat and uniform.

     As I finished for the day I wondered how many of our routine every day tasks could be made into mini celebrations if we only allowed them to be. How many times does our attitude about a task effect our experience. My yard work became a play day largely because I made it that way. I saw the weather change as a rare treat and acted accordingly. Perhaps it would be wise for us to view more of our routine activities as opportunities. If we could find the joy and beauty in the mundane, it would make each day more of a celebration.