don't get a leaf-blower

A few months ago, I received an email from my dad that said the following:

"I've spent much of 3 days raking the leaves in my front yard, and I've learned 2 things:
1. I'm the last guy in America who is still raking leaves - I'm getting a leaf blower in the fall. Why am I so slow to learn. 
2. 3 days to rake leaves - good grief. I can't work as fast or as long as I used to. In my mind I'm 35, but I guess not." 

Thanks to my dad's good humor, I was able to promptly & kind-of seriously respond with this:

"The leaf-raking exercise is good for you. Don't get a leaf-blower! It's ok that it takes you longer to do it in your older age. You will be fat & lazy & die too early like soooooo many other Americans. How's that for some firm advice? :) So unless you're hitting the gym every day, rake your leaves. It's God's design to keep you healthy. Tend the earth. Do it."

Shannon Hayes in Taproot Magazine writes this: "We live in bizarre times, victims of a post-industrial era that, for the sake of efficiency, has segmented our culture into factions - some produce the food, some produce the education, some produce goods and services. This segmentation fails to acknowledge our need to be human, to engage in daily work that feeds our minds and our bodies and reestablishes our oneness with the earth... I believe this segmentation of our lives becomes the source of despair. Our disconnect with our fundamental needs causes us to live without connecting to the earth, to grow ignorant about what is required to sustain life on this planet, and therefore commit crimes of ecological disrespect..."

I would add that "crimes of ecological disrespect" is merely one of many consequences of this segmentation - including many illnesses that result from us using leaf-blowers instead of the strong bodies God gave us. 

Hayes' words (& mine) may feel like a bit of a downer. But I don't think these habits and trends are irreversible. I think there's a lot of hope for our healing and that of the earth. Whether it's building a garden, raking leaves, or going for a hike in the woods, there are so many simple things each of us can do to connect more with the earth - things that will simultaneously treat the earth more kindly and feed our bodies & spirits. And before you hear this as a pile of guilt to add to your plate about pain-in-the-butt things you should do but aren't, don't miss this part... 

If you don't already know it, I want you to know how much pleasure there is in experiencing moments of harmony with this earth that God gave us. It takes some time and practice to make the connection. But it's pure magic when it happens. I promise. Even raking leaves can be magical.