Wind warning
Be careful what you wish for! One week ago, Vancouver Island measured the lowest pressure ever recorded, which translated into strong, very strong winds. Landscapers in the Vancouver area got all excited: let the wind take all of the remaining leaves and make them disappear, even if it’s just to the neighbor’s yard.
Except on my Monday site, the rain made the leaves stick. Yes, most of the trees were bare but the soggy leaf avalanches were frightening. I had to put in a ten-hour day which nearly broke me; and, I still had to face four more days of leaf pick-up. Yes, of course I expect some autumn weeks to be hard but I didn’t expect the post weather bomb mess.
Hitting pause
This brings me to the weekend. Normally I hustle on weekends; I have some private clients who need help all year or just occasionally. But this weekend I was so spent, I didn’t care. That’s how I know I’m tired. When I saw my clients’ texts, I had no desire to do any extra work. It was time to say ‘No’ and rest after a brutal week.
Side-hustles require strict energy management; and having a day job takes the financial pressure off. I can afford to push a few gigs. And if the client is in a hurry, well, they can reach out to other landscapers.
I must say, hitting pause this weekend was beautiful. I got to see my son score a crushing free kick in soccer and it made my day. He delivered the ball faster than Amazon Prime ever could.
Shoreline park
Then, having read a great deal about shinrin-yoku- Japanese for forest bathing- I went for a walk through Shoreline park. It was nice and sunny in late afternoon and the trail was covered in leaves. Except I didn’t have to blow them with leaf blowers; the machines Margaret Renkl refers to as ‘mechanical locusts’. It was pure bliss stepping over big leaf and vine maple leaves. Both trees are native in this area.
I soaked up the sun and finished off my Starbucks latte as I walked. Margaret Renkl is right, leaves on the ground can make it look all shiny. In this case, it was red maples looking great on the ground and on the trees.
I detest the rush to clean up all leaves as soon as possible on our work sites. Many of the trees get planted because they have great fall colors. So, why the rush? Enjoy the show. The landscapers who foolishly stand under trees and blast them with ‘mechanical locusts’ on their backs are sinners.
Conclusion
There are a few takeaways from this blog post. One is to enjoy the fall colors; and the other is to take time off when your body needs it. I love side-hustling all year. It’s fun and it makes me money. But when I’m spent after a brutal autumn week, I pack it in and head for the woods. You should, too. After all, that’s what the trees do in winter. They rest.
