Growing Together
"Time to work in the garden?"
"Yep."
"All right. What's our goal going to be for tonight? I say, let's make it all the way to the corner."
"All the way to the corner? That's more than just optimistic, that's crazy!"
"I know, but we can do it!"
"Okay, if you say so!"
...
"My arms are going to fall off."
"You can do it! Keep going!"
...
"Seriously? The corner?"
"Come on, it's not that far!"
"Not that far? You're not the one digging up each and very square inch of sod out here!"
"No, but I'm the one hauling every single square inch of sod off to the pile!"
"True."
...
"I don't think I am going to make it. It's getting really cold out here and I'm exhausted!"
"We don't have that much further to go! Come on! Don't make me go all 'bootcamp' on you!"
"Don't make me stab this weeding tool in your eye."
...
"Seriously? Are you sure we can't just stop here? I'm freezing!"
"Nope! We're so close! Come on!! Just a little bit further!!"
...
"I'm so cold and tired."
"I know, but after this, you can take a long hot shower while I get dinner together. We're having steaks tonight!"
...
"How long do you think the car thing is going to take tomorrow night?"
"Why?"
"Because I'm thinking, if we can get back home by 6ish, we could get that last chunk of the sod done tomorrow."
"Are you crazy?"
"It'd be nice to have it all done."
"Well, yes, but it's going to be cold!"
"So, that'll motivate us to move a little faster!"
"You are nuts."
...
"There. That's it. We reached the corner. I'm going in to thaw now."
"We did it!! Woohoo!! Good job!! Go take a hot shower and I'll get dinner started!"
...
It was later, when I was curled up under my blanket on the couch, after filling my belly with delicious steak and watching a great movie together, that I thanked Flash. It's his comments that are in bold, afterall, not mine. Not that I was as cynical or quite as pessimistic as it reads, but he was certainly the cheerleader and the one who pushed on this third night of digging up sod. I told him how proud I was of him. Of his work ethic out there in the yard. That he really impressed me by not grumbling once this week, even though I know this garden isn't his passion. I told him how much it touched me that when I ran upstairs to change my clothes, he got right outside so he could get a "head start" on me. He has worked his tail off hauling the sod to the pile in five gallon buckets.
This garden has been a dream of mine for a very very long time. But I had no idea that in addition to the amazing veggies and flowers that would grow there, so would my relationship with my boy. In just the few days we've been out there this week, covered in dirt, cold to the bone, my boy and I have laughed together, teased each other, talked about touchy, difficult topics. He doesn't get paid for helping me in the garden. He didn't get a shorter list of chores for the week in exchange. He's been out there because he loves me.
And I made certain he knew how precious that gift was to me.
Very precious indeed.
"Yep."
"All right. What's our goal going to be for tonight? I say, let's make it all the way to the corner."
"All the way to the corner? That's more than just optimistic, that's crazy!"
"I know, but we can do it!"
"Okay, if you say so!"
...
"My arms are going to fall off."
"You can do it! Keep going!"
...
"Seriously? The corner?"
"Come on, it's not that far!"
"Not that far? You're not the one digging up each and very square inch of sod out here!"
"No, but I'm the one hauling every single square inch of sod off to the pile!"
"True."
...
"I don't think I am going to make it. It's getting really cold out here and I'm exhausted!"
"We don't have that much further to go! Come on! Don't make me go all 'bootcamp' on you!"
"Don't make me stab this weeding tool in your eye."
...
"Seriously? Are you sure we can't just stop here? I'm freezing!"
"Nope! We're so close! Come on!! Just a little bit further!!"
...
"I'm so cold and tired."
"I know, but after this, you can take a long hot shower while I get dinner together. We're having steaks tonight!"
...
"How long do you think the car thing is going to take tomorrow night?"
"Why?"
"Because I'm thinking, if we can get back home by 6ish, we could get that last chunk of the sod done tomorrow."
"Are you crazy?"
"It'd be nice to have it all done."
"Well, yes, but it's going to be cold!"
"So, that'll motivate us to move a little faster!"
"You are nuts."
...
"There. That's it. We reached the corner. I'm going in to thaw now."
"We did it!! Woohoo!! Good job!! Go take a hot shower and I'll get dinner started!"
...
It was later, when I was curled up under my blanket on the couch, after filling my belly with delicious steak and watching a great movie together, that I thanked Flash. It's his comments that are in bold, afterall, not mine. Not that I was as cynical or quite as pessimistic as it reads, but he was certainly the cheerleader and the one who pushed on this third night of digging up sod. I told him how proud I was of him. Of his work ethic out there in the yard. That he really impressed me by not grumbling once this week, even though I know this garden isn't his passion. I told him how much it touched me that when I ran upstairs to change my clothes, he got right outside so he could get a "head start" on me. He has worked his tail off hauling the sod to the pile in five gallon buckets.
This garden has been a dream of mine for a very very long time. But I had no idea that in addition to the amazing veggies and flowers that would grow there, so would my relationship with my boy. In just the few days we've been out there this week, covered in dirt, cold to the bone, my boy and I have laughed together, teased each other, talked about touchy, difficult topics. He doesn't get paid for helping me in the garden. He didn't get a shorter list of chores for the week in exchange. He's been out there because he loves me.
And I made certain he knew how precious that gift was to me.
Very precious indeed.
Comments
p.s. enjoy that garden! when will you post pictures?