Zen and the art of domestication

It finally happened.

I bought a new lawn mower last week and could barely contain my excitement when I mowed my lawn with it. How did this happen? I thought I’d be the last person to genuinely look forward to yard chores, yet here I am. I used to be cool -- OK, not really. But, there used to be a fine line between the feeling I would get when I’d purchase a household appliance and something legitimately fun. I find that line to blur and fade these days.

The previous lawn mower was purchased for $50 through a garage sale and for three years, was very faithful. However, small problems quickly added up in the last few months, which resulted in my eyes looking for a newer model.

That model turned out to be an electric mower that proudly displayed the words “gas-like power” on the box. I wasn’t looking for anything electric in particular, but I already have an electric weed trimmer and seemed like the natural thing to do was to grow the collection. I’m sure Rocky Mountain Power is very happy with my decision-making processes.

Upon driving home with my new mower, the biggest question that came to mind was curiosity over how loud would this thing be.

Gas mowers are great. Their engines provide more than enough power to chew through long grass like a starved wildebeest. But, with that power also comes the unmistakable noise announcing to everyone within a two-mile radius the fact that you’re a responsible homeowner and care about neighborhood aesthetics. Frankly, I always found that noise to be a bit too loud.

Upon getting home and opening the box, I was greeted with a black and green mower and battery pack that seemed to announce the mower as something better for the environment than one of those loud, outdated gas mowers. While I get the fact it isn’t creating emissions, that “better for the environment” argument is severely undermined when you stop and consider where those electrons charged in the battery came from.

After a short setup time, I plugged the battery into its charger and carried on with the rest of my day.

The following morning, Saturday morning to be precise, I woke up earlier than I usually do and immediately dressed for a morning of lawn care. I was excited -- I can’t describe how badly I wanted to play with my new “toy.” It was here I realized how incredibly ridiculous I was being -- I was just mowing the lawn, not accomplishing some great feat.

I plugged the battery into mower and started it up. I was immediately greeted with a sound not unlike a vacuum cleaner. Not as loud, but the similarity was definitely there. That lack of a loud noise is what I noticed most -- I could probably mow the lawn at 3 a.m. on a Monday morning and not bother anyone.

For the next 20 minutes, I gleefully cut the lawn in a way that is uncharacteristic of me. It was a nice, enjoyable chore I emailed a friend about the purchase and received a one-word response to the question of “What happened to me?”

Domestication.

It makes sense, but I think I’d still much rather have fun with something I buy, not just something I buy to maintain the household. But, who knows? Maybe I’ll get that same satisfaction from buying a deep freezer and filling it.

While I can’t say I’m looking forward to mowing the grass again, I think I’ll get some enjoyment from it. An opportunity to feel the morning sunlight, smell the freshly-cut grass and not listen to the standard soundtrack from a gasoline-powered lawn mower.

 

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