Lawn Mowing: Spa treatment, Calorie torcher, Therapy and all around Zen experience

So the other day in my exercise column, I included mowing the lawn.  According to the calorie burn calculator that I found online, I burned off 370 calories.  I kinda thought it would be more than that.  I was judging by the eery and totally unnatural color of my complexion (picture a Smurf only red).  Whatever.  Calories burned are calories earned, yes? Also, if you mow the lawn in August in South Carolina, you will get glowing skin. But I gained so much more from my hour than (supposedly) losing some poundage and old skin cells.

First let me say that I haven't mowed a blade of grass in I don't know when.  I used to mow all the time when I was a teenager (in shape and in a bathing suit :) ).  But hubby and teenage boys have taken the job over for the past, say, 20 years.  To tell you the truth, I don't know what possessed me.  Oh, I remember now...I didn't want to do the dishes.

So, I got on my grass cutting couture and just so you are aware it is VITAL that you wear a bra to cut the lawn.  I only mention it because my teenage son sent me back to my room to change.  Apparently, he knows etiquette that Emily Post didn't write about.

Bra firmly in place, I went out to face my task.  I wasn't sure that I would be able to start the lawnmower.  Heck, I didn't even know where it was and son #2 had to remind me that it needed gas.  As if I didn't know that (cough cough).  But I did start it all by myself and I revved up the tuneage on my iPod and started to walk.  Back and forth and back and forth and back ... you get the idea.  And then something really amazing happened.  In the relative peace and quiet of the movement, I had time to hear myself think.  I was almost surprised to hear my own inner voice.  My life is so full of noise, a constant chatter, that I just didn't notice it was missing.

My favorite yogini, Sadie Nardini mentions the inner teacher at the close of her yoga practice.  Honestly, didn't know what in the world she was talking about.  How could anything inside this scattered brain/soul teach me anything?  I get it now.  I learned more about myself mowing the lawn than I've learned from anything or anyone else in recent memory (like even Dr. Phil).  I don't guess it is important to write down what all I thought about - just that I thought.  In the quiet...I thought...I heard what that inner teacher had to say and it was important.