F is for First!

Saturday was another first for me.  (I'm 40 and celebrating every "first" in my life this year.)  On Saturday,  I …. wait for it…. mowed the lawn for the FIRST TIME EVER!  Yeah, how on earth did I turn 40 before I've ever mowed a lawn??  I probably still would not have ever mowed, but my husband was in Poland and I didn't want him to stress over the lawn when he returned.  I had no trouble starting the mower at all.  I had no trouble putting gas in the mower at all.  With each strip I finished, I felt a sense of accomplishment.  I felt empowered.  I know, mowing the lawn made me feel empowered?? It sounds crazy, but I did.  My mom always mowed the lawn when I was growing up.  She was never the type of mom that would teach me things of have me help.  She always felt it was better and more efficient to do things herself.  Then I went to college and met a wonderful man.  We were very young, but we decided we wanted to get married.  So at the age of 20, I married a man who always mowed the lawn.  It wasn't for a lack of offering to mow about a million times over the course of our 20 year marriage.  But he never let me or wanted me to mow.  So with each strip, turn, sweat bead, I mowed.  I felt empowered.  I felt accomplished.  And I finished the lawn, both front and back.  And I enjoyed it.  This may be the start of something new for me.  I would love to mow the lawn again.  It would certainly take a little bit off of my husband's plate.  He can still do the edging and weed-eating.  We can do the lawn as a tag-team effort.  In the mean time, I grin at my nicely mowed lawn that I cut, and wait for the next time when I can mow again.