One bucket truck
Two dead ash trees
Three chainsaws
And a sweltering hot day.
The trees needed to come down. In fact, they really should have come down last year.
But life got in the way. Other things were more important.
Until branches started falling into the neighbor's yard. And not just little ones.
I knew it was time.
So I rallied the troops, and was fortunate enough that I have people in my life who are willing to give up their Sunday and work in the heat to help me.
These trees didn't look that big from a distance, but when the chainsaw started cutting and I watched the branches fall and cover the lawn, I realized what a big job this really was.
And I wasn't even doing the hard work!
Picking up twigs, stacking the smaller pieces as they were cut down, and raking up the lawn were my primary focus.
I think I did a million squats that day. And sweated off a few pounds.
Even now, as I write this, nearly a week later, there's still a pretty sizable pile of brush on my back patio.
I've been burning it every day in my fire pit and am making good progress.
But it's been a lot of work.
And it's also been eye-opening for me. I'm not used to this much manual labor.
I am realizing how physically "easy" my life has been.
The muscles I've been using most of my life are the ones between my ears and in my fingers as I type or write.
I labor over words and logical problems, doing the heavy lifting with my brain.
I wouldn't say either type of work is better than the other. They are just different.
Mental exhaustion after a long day of complex thinking can wear you out just as much as physical exhaustion.
This tree-cutting project gave me a new appreciation for people whose livelihood depends on using their bodies though.
I don't think I could work like that every day.
But I know others who love it. Who couldn't imagine a life where they had to sit behind a desk or talk to people all day.
The beauty of it is that both types of labor are necessary.
Our world couldn't function properly without them.
We just need to keep bringing our unique talents to the table.
Whether we do manual labor or work in an office, or a combination of both.
And every once in awhile, maybe we should stretch ourselves to see and appreciate how the other type of work is different and necessary.
Walk a mile in someone else's shoes and all that.
It might just help strengthen our empathy muscles.
I think we could all benefit from a little more of that type of manual labor.
Don't you?
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