“I have a job for you.” The words my dad used to say to me as a kid still ring in my ears whenever I think of yard work. He would say it to be funny and then tell me I had to pick the green beans. He never fooled me. ‘
As much as I love my dad, I still don’t tend to eat green beans, and it took me many years to reframe my thoughts about yard work.
The crazy thing now is that the anxiety I used to feel is replaced by appreciation and gratitude for our beautiful environment. One of the reasons my husband and I moved to the Keys in 2009 was to “see green all year long.”
You have to admit, we are all fortunate. If you are present enough, you can even notice the fragrance of our trees in the Key Largo Publix lot, as I recently did.
Taking this a step further, it’s all about how to think of the word “job,” right? You can also liken it to the word “work.” Somehow, our society has learned to dread the word “work.” The context we assign to a word is a choice — and everything is a choice.
Yard work is not only necessary to keep a tidy yard, but bigger than that, yard work is excellent for mental health. It’s a focused activity that clears the clutter of your mind. It also has physical health benefits as you get a workout. You may have to remind yourself the next day or so; as you age, the effects of the workout may kick in. But reframe that to a mindset of accomplishment versus pain, and you will be surprised at how much better you feel.
In March, I attended the Key Largo library’s free seminar on bird-friendly gardens, including information from the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center about bird migration. If you read my article about Food Trucks for Birds (also in March), this was a nice complement, as the Wild Bird Center is an incredible nonprofit in our community.
During that presentation, education and outreach coordinator Sara Read mentioned they recently had three birds in the facility being treated for illness due to lawn chemicals. That may not seem like many birds are affected, but if you are a bird fanatic like me, one bird is too many, and imagine how many go unfound or reported. Birds eat the insects that may reside in those weeds and, therefore, ingest the chemicals we use.
It gave me pause, as I have used chemicals such as Round-Up on occasion, and I never felt good doing it. So, that little bit of awareness has shifted my propensity to use chemicals versus taking the time to do the yard “work.”
Our yard may not always be the tidiest, as, let’s face it, we don’t always have the time to keep up with the weeds, but I am more happy, peaceful and healthy, and hopefully, some birds are, too.
