Mowing the Lawn

I have an acre of lawn to cut.
That’s a lot of grass
Last weekend, when I spent several hours on the endeavor, I discovered that mindless, repetitious activities are made even better when done at high decibel levels. Nothing like a Toro Lawn Horse if you want to wake the neighbors.
I was reminded of the story of Milton Erickson in the Boiler Factory – how he realized that he had somehow, overnight, learned to communicate in that din without shouting – just like the long-time workers in the factory. I guess we can get used to anything.
But then I remembered a story by Gangaji, a spiritual teacher, who said that when she was in India learning from her guru, one of the other students complained that meditation was hard for him because he lived above a 24 hour auto-body shop.
The Guru asked other students what they thought about the complaint. They went around the room and all did their best to offer sage advice. Gangaji herself offered the opinion that he should find the eternal silence that is always there within us. The Guru said, yes, those were all good ideas and asked if they now wanted to hear his advice?
They said yes, of course.
The Guru looked at the young man and said, “Move! Find another apartment in a quieter part of town.”
I’d have gone one step further and suggested, while he’s at it, find a place with a lot of lawn.