Raking Leaves

Back out to the leaves yesterday evening.

It's something I had been putting off pending -oh, I don't know, the end of the world - but still needing to be done. The initial large rake-off was done a month ago; however, leaves here in New Home continue to pour down from the oaks well into March. At some point it starts to damage a lawn, so it needed to be done. And, due to the fact of the time change, it was certainly light enough at 1830 to be out doing it.

As I started the routine of rake, rake, rake, get a bag and pour in, I looked up to see that Nighean Dhonn had come outside as well. Without saying anything to me, she had gone to get her plastic yellow shovel and started shoveling leaves into her bag.

We filled that bag and then another before I started to move down the lawn. She found another pile; unrequested, she went and got another paper lawn bag, figured out how to open it, and started shoveling leaves into that as well. She was raking with her shovel until I reminded her of the blue plastic rake; with that, she diligently sought to get the leaves corralled into a pile.

The two of us worked under the cloud-light evening sky, the air slightly warm with moisture: myself moving up and down the yard getting a long line of leaves, acorns and leaf mold into a line, her shoveling the leaves, re-raking the pile, then starting again.

When we surrendered to the oncoming darkness after an hour and a half, we had 6 thirty gallon bags full, including one that she had filled herself. The inside of my thumb/index finger areas of my hands tingling from the rake handles (even under gloves) promising the chance of blisters to come, we took one last look around, drank our water, and headed inside.

In the midst of such unsettled times - earthquakes, tsunamis, political unrest, economic uncertainty - it is often difficult to remind myself that there is much to life that remains pleasant and rewarding, even if I choose to not see it. Who am I to enjoy the privilege of spending time with my daughter doing something as mundane as raking leaves or playing Nintendo with her because that's what she wants to do?

One wonders if I chose to focus on these things in opposition to what I usually focus on, what my daily attitude would be like instead.