Lawn mowing therapy

I was mowing the back yard with a push mower. It was late evening on a Friday after a long and exhausting work week. I was mowing because my three young boys decided they wanted to take over lawn maintenance this year. They had all three finished what they could, and the rest was left to dear ol' dad. All of the sudden, the big idea hit me. Mowing the yard provides instant gratification.

You physically push the mower through tall grass and you clearly see your progress. There is no waiting or ambiguity involved. Instead, you put in the focused effort and you immediately see the results. All the while, no one is bothering you (others naturally steer clear of a man with a mower in his hands). After an hour or so of pushing a mower in a patterned manner, one may be overcome with feelings of peace and accomplishment.

For most of my adult life, I have wondered why so many people would want to waste so much time mowing grass. Now it makes total sense to me, and it is apparent why some are even borderline obsessive with the practice. Mowing can be a luxurious haven for the mind, body, and sole. Yes, mowing the lawn is therapy for a good portion of our society!

The therapeutic recipe of lawn mowing can be applied to many other aspects of life. The key ingredients are...

Physical activity
Being outdoors
Controlled focus
No distractions or interruptions
Instant results you can see

If you have a difficult task at hand, try applying these principles. Or, maybe just ditch what you are doing, and go mindlessly mow the yard. Cheap therapy indeed!