(Our ‘front yard’)

On Tuesday of spring break, three individuals cornered me, roughed me up a bit, and left before they did any real damage. They returned on Thursday and I really took a beating. I was sore for days.
Their names are Shovel, Rake, and Hoe.

On spring break, S and I redid our front yard, and shoveled in fresh manure into 6 beds in the hoop house. It was exhausting.

You know, before I married him, one quality about S really stood out to me: he was not afraid to work. He was not the sort of person who shied away from hard work, or work that took a long time to complete.
Over spring break, I found myself thinking I had underestimated that quality in him.

Sheesh.
It was spring break after all.

I’m very happy we got so much work done – especially since I’ve been sick quite a bit in the last few weeks. I’m also a little proud that I now know how to use a hoe.

As I was watching S work tirelessly (watching while panting and sitting on the ground), I thought about how his attitude toward work had always been so attractive to me.

One thing my parents showed me is that life is what you make it. ‘Make’ being the keyword. You can start with nothing and end up with more than enough. You can start with more than enough and end up with nothing. You can have plenty or none, and be happy or sad. It’s all in our choices.
The key, though, is that we must be willing to put forth some effort.

I knew that the life I had after I was married would be the life my husband and I built together – brick by brick, nail after nail. I wanted someone I knew would not be afraid to build.

I watched my husband use a pickaxe. It was a little frightening. I watched him swing it down with force.
And I wondered if I embodied the same qualities I placed such a high value on in him.
Was I a hard worker, too?

It seems quite easy to expect things of others that we aren’t willing to do ourselves, after all.

I may not have the upper body strength my husband possesses. I may have my butt handed to me by the rake after a long day of gardening. But I work hard for this life, too.

What are you working your life into?