I spent the entire day landscaping my front yard. I wish I had taken before and after pictures. It was a lot of work. I pulled 8 or 9 shrubs, raked up 400 square feet of mulch, put down new metal edging, moved 4 sprinkler heads, and put in place 18 new shrubs which will be a new hedge. They still have to be planted. I did this with my brother in-law who is a great landscaper.

I’m exhausted.

I spend most of my days sitting in front of a computer. I’ve become extremely sedentary. Most of the hours of my day are spent like this one; in front of a computer. A change of pace felt great.

I used to do a lot of manual labor. During the summers when I was a kid, I did construction, learned to roof, did landscaping, and washed dishes. I did it all. I learned what hard work was early. I don’t do much hands on work anymore and I miss it, kind of.

It was hard for me to get into this “change of pace”. I instantly realized I’m not nearly as strong as I once was. It took me a little while to let myself get dirty and submerge myself in the effort. Once I did, it was great. I was working outside. I was covered in dirt. I could see the progress we were making. I was learning new things. I was getting exercise. It was a complete change of pace and I loved it.

A change of pace is good. It refreshes the mind. It works other muscles, intellectual and physical. It breaks the cycle. It’s all too easy to become single threaded.

Although I’m tired, I feel great. I didn’t think about many of the things my mind spends most days pondering, translating, evaluating and processing. My brain went on a mini vacation.

On Monday, My brain and I will be back in front of the computer for 8 plus hours and my ass will be stuck to a chair. But, this Monday I suspect they will be a little more rested than normal.

Break up your day, your week or your month. Do something you haven’t done in a while. Wake up at 4:00 a.m. and go for a walk on the beach until the sun comes up. Build a dog house. Become a Big Brother/Big Sister. Play on a softball team. Do something you don’t normally do. Do something your not specifically good at. Get out of your comfort zone. It’ll give your mind a rest. It’ll make you feel good. When you get back to your regularly schedule program the story may be a bit more entertaining than you remember.

Despite all the work done today, I still have 18 shrubs to plant. That means 18 two feet by 3 feet holes to dig. Isn’t change of pace great?