A good day....

I had Wednesday off from work and it was time to mow the grass here at the campground. They have two large mowers here....one is a John Deere and the other is a Gravely. I got to use the John Deere. There are several large fields here, lining each side of the entry road into the campground. I started in at 9:00 a.m. and one of the amigos used the other mower. It took us until 5:00 p.m. but we got it all done. What fun I had ! It reminded me so much of being back on the farm, doing something on one of the farm tractors. Warm day but a cool breeze....Just the rhythmic hum of the mower (through my ear plugs), nothing to think about and just concentration on where I've just moved so I can run the next swath. On and on through the afternoon until the last of it was done.
When I was at the college, some days I would see the grounds crew outside mowing and wish that I was the one on the mower....riding along..cutting the grass. Not fretting over some personnel issue or stressing over getting budget done. Just doing a simple task that when you're done, you feel like something was accomplished. Now I get to do that...each week I will run like a Deere and keep the grounds looking nice.
On another note of simplicity and serenity....yesterday the park was closed but as usual the grounds crew needed to go in to clean the various areas. I was on broom and dustpan detail which was boring but I was enjoying the quiet of the park without start-up of the rides, no incoming employees, etc. As I was looking for debris in the flower bed at the top of one knoll I looked over on the ridge, below the one roller coaster. There were four deer grazing, without a care in the world...making their way across the ridge. Their habitat is one surrounded by noise, machinery and people but on this day, they had the park to themselves...nothing but tree buds on their mind for lunch. It was a beautiful sight ! And so it is that when we seek out simplicity and purpose in the stillness of what we do (or don't do) it comes to us. It's there when we need it.....energizing us and renewing our spirit.