My friend Gary and I had dinner last week. Since he had yet to see my house, he met me there before we left for the restaurant. As the owner of a Fairfield County, Ct. landscaping business, property is of particular importance to Gary. While he perused the back yard from my kitchen window, he emphatically questioned, “Al, have you ever mowed your lawn yourself? I mean, like ever?”
Our History
I don’t understand why, it’s actually a bit odd, but I find it quite compelling and actually enjoy the fact that most people perceive me to be so different than I really am. Especially when they underestimate me. Gary has known me for a long time, actually since college. And although he has been to the home in which I grew up, he of course would have no way of knowing what my upbringing was like. I can tell you that we really didn’t have the resources to pay for a lawn service, and with a father who was a military man, you can be sure that yard work was very much one of my responsibilities. I remember my dad commenting in his commanding voice, “Sweep the streets like Michelangelo paints. With every bit of pride and effort that you can muster.”
The Weekend
This past weekend I decided that it was time to attend to my unruly hedgerow. Instead of calling a landscaper, I embarked upon trimming them myself. I chose to go the old fashioned route and purchased hedge-clippers rather than electric trimmers. My surprise regarding the weight of the clippers was almost embarrassing. The fiberglass composite handles felt dramatically lighter than the solid hardwood handles of yesteryear. It certainly was a lot easier to maneuver them while on my step-ladder than I remember back in the day. Of course the aluminum step-ladder was much easier to move about also. In any case I was able to complete the job without stabbing myself.
The Good And The Bad
I’m sure the pride that I hold for our generation’s ingenuity in developing technology is not as great as my dad’s would be for the house that I now own if he were here to see it. He would have thought that I did a good job with the hedges too.
A prideful man, he’s still here in spirit, and as I was finishing I could actually see his smile as he gave me his perspective. “These clippers may be lighter,” his voice softly echoing from the sky, “but the ones we had did a much better job of building muscles.” He’s right. I suppose that’s the way it is with technology, you take the good with the bad. Love it when it’s working well, curse it when it’s not.
It’s been two days now and I must say, technology or no technology, I agree with my dad about one other thing. These hedges look great, better than they did the last time when cut by a professional. Actually, I’m not so sure Michelangelo himself could have done a better job!
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good one