Immediately I learn that raking leaves doesn’t look how I’ve seen it in the pictures or movies, with one big leaf pile, just begging for a kid to come jump in it with delight, but rather that raking is about having lots of little piles, all piling up in the section of the yard where those leaves fell.

I learned to be gentle with my rake so I don’t bring up the dirt and tear out the grass. I learn that some leaves can go at the base of the trees to act as mulch and some leaves need to go in a hefty bag and be taken out of the yard.

And as I finished with my first raking job, I felt proud. What was once a leaf covered yard is now a clean and clear grassy pasture. I could see the results. I watched it happen before my eyes.

And as I stood on my patio looking out at this grass I thought to myself “all in an afternoon’s work. Sweet. I did it.”

I went on about my day and woke up the next morning and looked out the window. And what did I see? Leaves everywhere. We had wind during the night and there were now more leaves on the grass than there were before I started raking the day before.

And I giggled to myself and thought…”yes…of course, because this is life!”

Just because we have one conversation, or feel like we’ve worked through a problem doesn’t mean it’ll never show up again. Just because I raked the leaves yesterday doesn’t mean I’ll won’t have to rake them tomorrow.

It just means that I’m engaging in the daily practice of what it is to handle the things in my life that need attention. And this applies to everything.

Relationships. Leaves. Mopping the floor. “Working it out” with our loved ones. But if we tend to the leaves and the garden, the grass remains alive, and that which we plant will grow.

Happy Tuesday friends. Happy Fall.