At work in the fields of Eden
I got a truckload of friends and neighbors moving away. Selling their parcel and their view homes, moving down the road to Arizona, New Mexico, Montana and beyond. They’re tired, they say, of mowing lawns and pulling weeds. Too damn much work! And … the dandelions and the fescue grow faster than cows on growth hormones.
I’m sure there’s other reasons. Too dreary here in the winter. Too boring in retirement. Too lonely now that the kids have flown the nest, married and have careers and separate lives. Somewhere ELSE the grass is greener. But it never grows very fast, if at all over near somewhere else.
We’re all looking for something, I guess. That’s what keeps religion in business. Folks are always happy to tell you what you’re missing, what you need, what they can offer. We’re a little bored, a little lonely, a little tired of crappy TV. We think maybe a change of scenery might do us good. It’s how I ended up Here, so I’d be the last fella standing if I said Don’t Go. Sometimes a change of latitude does create a change of attitude. Why we take vacations …..
Course, it’s temporary. Unless you live here on the South End. I mow a helluva lot of lawn. I weed a lot of garden. So does the missuz — and she has a full time job. Sometimes it feels like a chore, but most of the time I feel like Heaven’s Gardener. Pruning the orchards, harvesting the crops, trimming the flowers, planting the shrubs, cutting firewood —- yah, it takes a lot of time, sweat and sore backs. I’d be lying if I said I never minded. I’d be less than honest if I didn’t mention it’s a labor of love.
I suspect Adam and Eve didn’t get booted out of the Garden. I bet they just didn’t like taking care of the place. Too damn much work. And the serpent told them they weren’t being paid enough to do it. Paradise, I suspect my emigrant neighbors and friends will learn soon, doesn’t come for free. But the rewards aren’t measured in minimum wage either.
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