Cutting the Grass

When I was 16 years old I was given the best job a kid could ask for. I got paid to cut the grass for our four local schools during the summers. I sat on a riding lawn mower all day, outside, in the sun. There were days when I probably complained that it was too hot. I know there were mornings that I yelled at my 5:00am alarm. But I did this job for 12 summers. By the time I was done I had gone from a 16 year old starting my junior year of high school to a married man getting ready to start a family. Throughout all that time the grass continued to grow

Over the years I got to know the people who surrounded the schools. There was the guy who washed his car every Thursday morning at 9am. The lady who wore

black leather gloves while walking a dog twice her size. On the hottest days of summer there were people who would come out and offer me water, Gatorade, and even beer. Every summer when I started back up again I would see the changes that took place in the surrounding community. Some homes got new roofs. Families added new children and grandchildren. Others changed jobs while some retired. Throughout all of this the grass continued to grow.

Most of the time as I sat on my perch, I just let my mind drift off and contemplate life. When I now sit in my air conditioned office during the summer and watch the custodians go back and forth on their lawnmower I become wistful for those lazy summer days. It was the best job because no matter how many things in my life changed, I knew the grass would always be there growing.