When I was just a kid my grandpa and dad worked as construction workers. They suffered through scorching hot and bitterly cold days. They listened to foulmouthed, lazy foremen; dealt with good men and lousy pay; they poured their hearts and sweat into each and every project. They are incredibly proud men and I admire them both greatly for it. On super cold mornings, when I’m headed to work, I think of my dad doing the same for me year after year after year and I weep at the thought of it. A semester away from graduating college, and a lifetime away from better pay. But it was in this environment that I was raised. You did your own dirty work, fixed your own plumbing and buckled down and did what needed to be done.
It wasn’t long after elementary school that my grandpa retired. He’s always been tougher and more active than any of us. Still today at eighty-five he could beat me in a foot race, arm wrestle or house building. He’s amazing. So, once he’d retired he couldn’t slow down. He had so much energy that he had to pour it into something. And so he started mowing lawns.
He picked up one lawn, then another, and another, until finally he had dozens, up to forty or more lawns that had to be mowed every week. Now, I don’t kid myself into thinking he needed my help. He could have done all those lawns without me, probably better without me. But he took me in. I don’t know why, but he allowed me to work side by side with him and get paid at the same time. I helped with my grandpa’s lawn mowing for several years. And in that time I learned a few things that have come to mean something.
Always aim straight and cut half a swath. When you’re mowing, pick a point and walk toward it; this makes the lines look ruler straight. In addition don’t take more than half the width of the mower in new grass. If you take a full swath it’s too much for the mower, it bogs it down and the lines don’t look as good. Taking half a swath is the best way to get a good looking lawn.
Do a good job edging. Preparing for a job is half the battle. If you do a good job edging the lawn will look much better than if you didn’t. The edge of a lawn is one of the first things people notice; it makes the lawn looked finished and professional. Edging helps cover mistakes you might have made while mowing. But if it’s edged right, people won’t notice. Preparing for the job by edging helps in the finished project.
Blow the walks clean. After you’ve finished mowing, take a circuit around the sidewalks with the mower; clear the walks so they don’t have any grass clippings on them. Cleaning up after yourself is important because it makes a good final project, and it reflects good on you. A job worth doing, is a job worth doing well. Even though you’re tired and hungry, once the job is done it’s worth cleaning up after. Clean up all around the yard and you will be more satisfied with the job you’ve done. Leaving clippins is lazy and doesn’t reflect well on the person who mowed.
Take a break every now and again. Every morning at ten in the morning we would take a break. Coke and powdered doughnuts. We may have had other things but I remember the coke and powdered doughnuts. I remember sitting in the shade of my grandparents front porch and talking to my grandpa about working and fishing and family. He was the wisest person I knew. And sitting there, talking to him, made the world seem more sane and understandable. I still love drinking a Coke. Drinking Coke is like liquid memories to me. The taste and smell of the Coke bring me back to that place and time; when things are tough and I’m not sure I want to continue in the hot sun and dusty grass, a Coke helps to bring it all back into focus. Grandpa would never quit. Never.
Appreciate what you’ve got. My grandparents had a very traditional relationship. Every day at noon we would take another break; my grandma would have lunch prepared and waiting on the table. And while the world has come to see this as unequal, my grandparents never did. My grandpa never stopped telling me how much he loved and appreciated my grandma. He thanked her and gave her a kiss every time. He was kind and respectful to her for all she did. They are a great couple. Even now, twenty years after I mowed lawns with him, and fifty years after marrying her, he points out how much she means to him. He tells us all how beautiful she is and how much he loves and appreciates her. He knows how good he’s got it.
Mowing lawns taught me a whole host of things. My grandpa is a great man and I would do well to follow in his footsteps. He is a hard worker who finishes what he starts; he demands quality and gives praise only when you’re deserving of it. He is a hero of mine and I am lucky to have known him and to have gotten the opportunity to know him as well as I did. He didn’t have to let me work with him but I’m sure thankful that he did. Without him I wouldn’t be the man I am today, mostly due to all the lawns we mowed and all the Cokes we drank.
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