heaven, mowerless
April 29, 2005 – 5:44 pmAfter running several errands today, I rushed home, hoping to change the oil in my lawn mower and mow an acre of grass before the rain began. The maintenance was quickly done. As I clambered onto the mower, I felt a few drops falling on me, and I confess I prayed the rain would hold off for a bit. I headed for the front yard, hoping to at least complete the areas most visible from the road.
As I mowed grass for the first time this year, I reconnected with the pleasure of it. I use my time on the mower to ponder, and to savor the therapy of progressive bands of low, smooth-cut grass; order comes out of chaos as I sample Adam’s charter, achieving dominion over some tiny part of God’s green earth.
And my neighborhood is beautiful this time of year. The fields around my house, though still brown and bare, nonetheless stretch away into the distance, and somehow the space calms me and lifts my spirits.
I said thanks to the Creator. And soon after that I thought, I hope there is mowing to be done in heaven, and I hope I get to do plenty of it. Whereupon I began mentally to devise my paradisal mower. It would be a large contraption, but not noisy, smoky and greasy. No, it would glide over emerald hills with only the quiet whisper of blades against grass.
A few minutes later, however, I realized I had thought an unworthy thought. No, not the mower design, that’s a good idea, and I’m still musing on it. I mean the thought before that: I hope there is mowing to be done in heaven.
I had had this thought because just before that, as I hurriedly mowed beneath the cool gray sky, I had thought to myself, I shall not always have this house, and this mower, and this yard. It was then, with a sigh, that I thought of mowing in heaven. If I surrendered to God the hope of mowing here on earth, I wanted, in exchange, an IOU for more, for much more of this particular pleasure. But while the grass may be greener on the other side, the truth is that heaven has already begun for us in moments like these if we are content with and thankful for the moment itself. And with these thoughts my grasping nature is cut down to size.
The threatened rain has still not begun to fall in earnest. My heavenly mower is coming along nicely; it’s now automated, needing no driver, which also removes the necessity for a cooler for canned beverages (I don’t say “beer,” for there is some question whether there is beer in heaven. That’s why I drink it here.) Of course, the lawns in heaven are perhaps managed more simply; say, by a whole bunch of billy goats. After all, they say we’ll all be surprised at who’s in heaven.
12 Responses to “heaven, mowerless”
You are such a card, Homme du Carthage. Since Cartago delendum est, work the yard you’ve got now. What dreams may come depend, I believe, on the present heart of the dreamer. I like your heart.
By l'homme du bardo on Apr 29, 2005
You’re welcome to mow our lawn, Joel, any old time. Especially in August. You are extremely welcome to mow our lawn in August. I won’t even charge you for the privilege.
By MichaelBates on Apr 30, 2005
There will be mowing heaven; I assume this because there will be gardening in heaven. I know this because I want to garden, fairly yearn for it, but cannot add it to my earthly list of chores yet. I don’t think you should smack the yearn out of yourself, nor automate the lawncare of heaven. If you can feel it calling, it’s there. Ask good ol’ C.S. I’m going to stand next to him in line.
By El Fid on Apr 30, 2005
I can hear you saying to Brad Pitt:
“Oh YEAH? Well what do you know about LAWN CARE, pretty boy?”
Since you and Dawn are geeting serious let me, as a husband of a BEAUTIFUL wife, tell you that Dave Barry has some great advice for us who are blessed with a BEAUTIFUL woman as our beloved. That advice, along with the quote above, can be found at:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600122815,00.html
By Wodamark on Apr 30, 2005
When I was growing up, we had one of the world’s ony (it was a prototype — two were made) bicycle powered lawn mowers. It was awesome. Traffic would literally slow to a stop when we used it , particularly when my dad, a 6′2″ quaker with long luxuirous hippie hair, was at the healm.
In heaven it might actually cut grass, too.
By Nora on Apr 30, 2005
I remember your half-baked mower home. The mowers of Yorktown mow slowly, but they mow exceedingly fine, n’est-ce pas?
By l'homme du bardo on Apr 30, 2005
l’homme de bardo means this one. Excellent idea, btw.
By k_sra on May 2, 2005
Hey dude. How do you change the oil. Ive got a big red Murray and cant get under it. I dont know what to pull off and my machine is running like a washer on spin cycle.
By josephine on May 3, 2005
I couldn’t agree more! I spend a lot of time riding horses in the open fields of Wyoming. The summer evenings are awesome. I pray my family and my family of critters will be in heaven with me. Seeing them there would mean so much. I mow our yard. We live out of town now, however when we lived in town the folks next door thought my husband was a bum because I would be mowing while he drank a tea. I enjoyed the workout. I told him one day maybe he should go in the house so it didn’t look so bad - Ha. Cherish the simple!
By Denise on May 3, 2005
Ahhh…first morning in heaven. This is great! Let’s see, what’s for breakfast…fresh crullers, fantastic! Now, after breakfast, should I go sit at the right hand of God or..I know, I’ll mow the lawn!
By LoL on May 4, 2005
You could wait this long before mowing your lawn? I thought you were you downstate from me. Must not have had the wet winter we did up here in the North End. I’ve hit it three times and it’ll be soybean height by this weekend.
You only wish for mowing in heaven because you have a riding mower. After having to mow two acres with a push (plus raking) my entire teen years, I’ll pray for the mowing to be tossed. Besides, we all know that the heavenly mowers will be those old rotary push ones, so that the pleasant sounds of “clickety-clack” run through the streets of gold. And the blades will never dull….
By manasclerk on May 5, 2005
Well, actually I oughtn’t to have waited this long. I had to raise the mower deck to the highest level and go kinda slow. And I didn’t even get to finish it last weekend, so I know it will be pretty gnarly when I get to it this weekend.
I did my share of the two acre push mower experience (yes, Mr. Bates, in August) and as far as I can remember, I tended to think not of heaven, but of temporal things like, say, a huge glass of iced tea. Add to that the fact that I get monumental hayfever, and well, it truly tried my soul. So you may be right; the riding mower may have everything to do with it.
By Joel on May 5, 2005