There are things in life that we used to do without giving them much thought. Gardening, cleaning the house, walking long distances and doing all sorts of household chores were simply part of our daily routine.
But time changes us. We are not as young as we used to be, and we have gradually learned that we need to approach these activities differently.
This afternoon was a good example.
After returning home from a quick lunch at Ying Kee, Julie and I decided to tackle the fallen leaves in our garden. Autumn is beautiful, but it also brings us plenty of work. The trees are generous with their colourful leaves, and someone has to clear them away!
I took out the leaf blower and started blowing the fallen leaves into manageable piles. Julie followed behind me, collecting the leaves and putting them into the garbage bins.
We made a good team.
In the past, perhaps we would have tried to finish the entire job in one afternoon. We might have kept going until everything was done.
Not anymore.
We worked for about an hour and decided that was enough for today. There was no need to exhaust ourselves trying to finish everything at once. There would always be another day to continue.
Our approach is simple: a little bit each day.
I think this is one of the adjustments we learn to make as we grow older. We begin to understand that completing a task is not always the most important thing. Looking after ourselves while enjoying the process matters just as much.
There is also something pleasant about working together. I operate the blower, Julie collects the leaves, and between us we get things done. It is not a major undertaking, but these little moments of cooperation are part of our everyday life.
At our age, we should not measure a successful day by how much work we have accomplished. Sometimes, an hour of gardening, a nice lunch together and a little satisfaction from seeing a cleaner garden are more than enough.
Tomorrow, there may be more leaves on the ground. That is perfectly fine. Nature has its own schedule, and we have ours.
We will deal with them another day.
After all, life is not a race. We have earned the right to take things a little easier.
A little bit each day. One step at a time. And, most importantly, enjoy the journey together.
That's our philosophy for this autumn.
— David Au, Grandpa Journey
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