I have been working all summer on mulching my yard so that I won’t have to use a gas mower anymore.  I am keeping the grass in my backyard because I can use my eco-friendly push mower back there, so the extensive boulevards on my corner lot have been my focus.  Yesterday I was planning to mulch 1 of the 2 side boulevards with my mom.  I figured that in an effort to practice a little moderation in my life, doing half of the job was more realistic than a marathon session of mulching.  When my mom arrived, she asked why we didn’t just do the whole thing in one day and be done with it, so after a little convincing me, we decided to do the entire thing.

Since my usual compost site where I get free mulch is closed on Thursdays, I found another place in Minneapolis where we could get enough free mulch to get the job done.  Between the two of us, we could haul about 400 gallons (2 cubic yards) of mulch in our cars.  So we drove out to the site and found the cleanest, most beautiful pile of mulch I have ever seen.  Then again, my appreciative eyes have had lots of experience with identifying good mulch and it is one of those things that quickens my heartbeat a little as I imagine the beauty I can create with such a simple recycled product.

I had a hard time not feeling overwhelmed at the beginning from the scope of our project, but then I realized that I wasn’t practicing mindfulness.  So I committed myself to not being irritable despite the hot weather and being loving towards my willing and patient mother.  That is exactly when I started enjoying myself.  Despite working in 80-90 degree weather with high humidity, we worked all day in the direct sun.  My neighbor Sally joined us right in the middle of the project when we started losing motivation and one of my patients stopped by to deliver some flowers from her garden for me.  Sally was telling me that long before meditation became popular, she went into her own little world while gardening and it has always been her meditation.  This is what I love about gardening!

We saw many neighbors throughout the day and enjoyed a lot of cameraderie.  We took many breaks to drink cool water and sit in the shade, but by the end of the day, we were both overheated and dehydrated.  It took us a total of 11 hours to haul the 1200 gallons (6 cubic yards) of mulch and lay it down on top of newspapers.  A special thank you to all my neighbors who donated their newspapers and encouragement on this project.  I’m so thankful to live in such a supportive neighborhood and to have a really energetic and loving mother.  I’m looking forward to this additional way in which I can make the world a more beautiful place.