Saturday, May 9, 2009

Hoein' in the garden

I believe the garden hoe is a useful philosophical tool. While being work, it exhumes moldy thoughts and turns them like rain-packed soil. It is also a great way to let your mind wander and consider 'how this is like that'. Tending a garden is a bit like tending other things in life. If you do it often it remains light work. If you don't do it often enough you're in for a workout. Depending on how much you're willing to exert, you can either find joy or frustration. The garden hoe is the tool for determining which you prefer.
I have found thru countless hours of hoeing that my mind has time to stroll through a virtual cornucopia of ideas, reflections, abysmal recollections, or comical reliefs.
You see, the hoe in question isn't just any hoe. It is my Grandfather's hoe. He has long been planted and produced, but his roots are still active. Kind of like a pepper plant that, from the lifeless stump remaining, puts on a new leaf. Anyway, back to the hoe.
The hoe is old, rusty; the handle shows signs of distress splits and a bit of duct tape around an old crack. Still, the tool has a certain feel that brings to mind glimpses of strong old hands viewed through a child's eyes. I recalls to mind many words of scripture reminding me of generational blessings. Is my hoe one of them? Perhaps. It feels great. It hoes even better.
The philosophical angle of this is that the mind is free to roam at the other end of the business at hand. Brown matter and gray matter. Now there's a juxtaposition for you. Both carbon-based and full of fertilizer (I'm being nice here). But for all it's rusty worth, it is still the most useful tool in the shed. The hoe that is. I wonder how much longer it will last? Perhaps my son will ponder life, some day, at it's leaner end.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Behold, all things are new.

I've tried a lot of things throughout my life. This is the newest. I can't say why it took so long. Perhaps many of my friends mentioned blogging a bit too much; perhaps I need an outlet that exposes the shiftier side of me; perhaps I have nothing better to do at six in the morning with coffee in hand and a mind rife with flying thoughts. Some I will try to share. Others I will press into service and unpack quietly before shooting myself in the foot.
Still, I'm a bit excited to have finally caved to all the clamour......................