A Road Less Travelled

The boys and I raked today. The day was a cliché of a gorgeous spring day- the sun was warm, the sky was blue, a light breeze brushed against my skin. I started raking out front where the leaves had blown against the porch and piled up between the big rocks in front of our house. I haven’t raked for a while mostly through quick reflexes and prior engagements, but the old skill was still there. I settled in to my chore and thought about raking.

I used to hate raking. There was one day a year that my parents would get us all together and declare that it was Raking Day. I’ve tried to peel away my impressions and remember if, objectively, there had been a lot of leaves because it felt like all the trees in the Tri-County area dumped in our backyard. I know there weren’t that many, but I can say that there really were a lot of leaves in our yard. We had front steps and fences strategically placed to catch any leaves blowing by and hold them for us. Plus, we raked the yards of two elderly neighbors across the street. It was a grand day with grumbling at the start, a Snickers break in the middle, blisters at the end and lots and lots of leaves throughout.

What we did today is nowhere close to the grandeur of Raking Day, but I enjoyed it and it made me feel good. I pulled brown, rotting leaves off of the ground and now we can see the green underneath. We’ve peeled off last year and now this year can start. The leaves lay on the ground through the winter while it rested and slept, but now it’s time to wake up. The covers are off and the sun is up. It’s time to get a move on.