I was looking forward to this year’s Humanics Action Day, and it turned out great. I wanted to mow a lawn and do some gardening. Nature has always fascinated me, and I always feel joyous when I am taking a stroll on a well-manicured lawn with flowers dotting the landscape. I wanted to be part of making a senior citizen’s lawn and garden look trim and tidy.
The gardening was fun. I was in the company of a colleague, and we started by planting some bougainvillea and lily flowers on a small garden at the centre of the lawn. I did not like the pulling out of weeds because some had bad smells. I decided to work without my gloves on and I it was not a good choice since I was exposing myself to injuries. The elderly man advised me to use gloves when gardening and I saw it wise to follow his advice the next time I engage in such tasks. However, when we were all done, I liked the look of the garden. I felt good holding the watering can over the newly planted flowers, seeing the ground soak up the water hungrily. It was satisfying.
I largely enjoyed the mowing. The weather was a bit hot and with the sun shining bright, the bright emerald of the grass contrasted sharply with the clear sky blue. It had rained lightly that morning, and the sunshine brought about some enthusiasm. I mowed a quarter acre lawn for an elderly man in our neighborhood. I liked the soft roar of the lawnmower. It was an old model without self-propulsion. Initially, I felt a bit jittery to push a machine with sharp blades around. I had a slight fear of the mower malfunctioning and probably causing me injury with the sharp blades. Although, I was a little bit tense when I put on the machine and laid my hands on the handles, all fear vanished and in its place great enjoyment. The pushing was fun in and I felt great seeing the mower throw bits of cut grass all around me. I liked the soft roar of the machine. In the flat areas with relatively shorter grass, it was easy to move the mower.
I had one slight incident that I disliked. Before I started the mowing, the elderly man had asked me to go round the lawn collecting stones and other debris so that it is not entangled in the blades and damage them or worse still cause me injury. I had very light shoes on, and I feared stepping on some sharp item such as a broken glass or nail. I collected a few nails at the edge of the garden and luckily, and there was no broken glass or I regretted having not put on my gumboots. I swore always to dress appropriately when going out for mowing and gardening tasks. I would like to mow a lawn again. I miss an opportunity to groom an even larger lawn with more challenges such as uneven ground with small hills and valleys. I hope to learn some few techniques of handling a lawn mower.
The experiences, I had during this year’s Humanics Action Day are memorable. Although I disliked some things such as the smell of weeds and the danger of stepping on some hazardous item such as a broken glass, the experience is unrivalled. I enjoyed planting and watering the flowers and mowing the lawn. I look forward to seeing beautiful smiles on the faces of more senior citizens as I groom their gardens and lawns.
