I just spent two hours sweating in a blinding mid-spring sun, swatting at bloodthirsty insects, and abusing my hands and wrists. Yet I feel wonderful.
Sure, it would have been far faster and more comfortable to trim hedges and clear tree branches with power tools instead of doing it manually. But would it have given me the same satisfaction?
There is something incredibly fulfilling about doing a job that's physically demanding, especially for those of us who spend most of our working hours seated, staring at a computer screen. At the end of a tough job on a hot day, nothing can feel better than a cool spot of shade and a tall, cold glass of water. Just as sweet is the content of looking across the yard and seeing visible evidence of my work. Deleting spam from my inbox might be painless, but it doesn't refresh a tired spirit the way a few well-earned splinters do.
© 2007 by AnnaLisa Michalski