By Lorry Myers
On the flight home, I should have been thinking about the vacation I was leaving behind. Surfers and ships, Mai Tais and margaritas. I saw history and happiness and happened to be lucky to check this trip off my list.
Vacation was not what I was thinking about.
On the midnight ride from the airport, I was looking up the weather and worrying about what I would find when I got home. There was a plan in place before I left but that plan fell apart. I never thought much about it but now, it was all I could think about.
I need to mow my yard.
“I need to mow, I need to mow, I need to mow my yard” was the catchy tune playing inside my head. I didn’t mow before vacation because we had a rainy spell that wouldn’t go away. So, I left knowing that the grass would continue to grow and would be waiting for me when I got home.
I was right, of course.
I arrived home in the wee hours and slept fitfully knowing what I had to look forward to the next day. It wasn’t my suitcase full of dirty clothes, my empty refrigerator, or pile of delayed mail that made me toss and turn.
I need to mow my yard.
It was much worse in the daylight than it was in the dark. Grass was shin deep and there were places in the yard where the weeds had sprouted seeds and were now blowing in the wind. All the neighbors’ lawns were neatly mowed and clipped.
Then, there was mine.
That first day after vacation, the weather report was not encouraging, and the dark clouds were backing it up. Mowing was going to have to wait. In between laundry loads and mail sorting, I looked out the window at the rain and paced.
I need to mow my yard.
The second day after vacation, the forecast was inconclusive. I watched the local radar and the clouds, calculating the time before the next rain chance. Then, I made a decision.
I need to mow my yard.
For the full column, see this week’s edition of the Centralia Fireside Guard
