Manual Labor

I popped a couple of Advil last night in a pre-emptive attempt to ward off some aches and pains this morning. My shoulders hurt from hauling 2 liter bags of mulch. My hands ache from grabbing handfuls of weeds. My arms hurt from digging and overturning soil in a planter. My knee hurts from kneeling down to pick up rocks, marbles, chunks of concrete, and chopped roots. My feet ache from countless trips to throw junk from the backyard into a dumpster in the front yard.

I have a sunburned face. I have scratches on my legs. I have bruises on my forearms. My clothes are covered with ground-in dirt. My shoes are spattered with rancid mud water and slug juice. Bees buzzed around my ears, my feet crunched countless snails, and spiders crawled across my shoes and up my socks.

And I couldn't be more satisfied.

Because yesterday, while working on a project for Rebuilding Together, my Tribe helped turn a family in need's backyard from this.....
(decades of accumulated junk, weeds, overgrown garden)

To this.....
(uncluttered patio, planters with flowers and herbs, mulched garden area, trimmed trees)

We also cleared and organized a garage that looked pretty much the same as the "before" backyard photo, and laid new linoleum in the hallway and kitchen. All things considered, a great way to spend a day.