What I did on my Christmas vacation

I’m taking the week off, and Sarah has got me helping her with some gardening projects. Now, gardening is not something to which I am naturally drawn. It really would never occur to me to go outside and dig holes in the ground. Standing around holding a watering hose is excrutiatingly dull to me. I’m fond of saying that the only thing more boring than watching grass grow is making it grow.

A few weeks ago, however, I had an experience that prompted me to take more of an interest in this hobby of Sarah’s. Sarah had asked me cut down a small tree that was growing next to the house. I misunderstood which thing she meant, and I cut down her favorite plant instead. It was a plant that had sentimental value to her. My cutting it down hurt Sarah.

I realized that I should have known that the plant was special to her, but I never took an interest in the outdoor (or indoor for that matter) foliage. It’s not that I don’t care how the yard looks — I do appreciate the beauty of it all and how hard Sarah works on it. I just didn’t want to do any of it myself, and I only half-listened when she talked about it.

So when Sarah asked me to help her with a few outdoor projects this week, I quickly agreed. Gardening is important to Sarah, so I want to participate. I laid some paving stones in front of the gate, dug out the flower bed in front of the deck, pulled weeds out of the rock garden, and transplanted two or three plants.

Once I got into it, it was actually quite enjoyable. Not because digging holes was great fun, but because Sarah and I spent time together being active, collaborating, talking, and laughing. And that was great fun.