small town afternoon

Decided to revive the garden today. As I was taking trash out the dumpster behind our house, the ex-priest who lives in the little rental cabin behind us called out a hello. He was partially obscured by a huge mound of dirt and yelling over the noise of a tractor, so I just waved in response. He said the owners of the big house were making a garden out of the driveway today. I said I was working on my garden too and he offered to give me the tiller they had rented so I could clear my plot.

I felt determined for the day and set to work. Pulled out all the old rocks and tomato wire, the shade cover and plastic bags, then prepared myself to borrow the tiller. My mom pressured my father to borrow their tractor too so he could remove a gigantic piece of cement from our backyard. The neighbors agreed and we took down the fence to make room for the machine. I met them over in their front yard to learn how to use the tiller, then... it became very small town.

Someone started apple martinis. Then beers were passed around. It was someone's birthday in the small rental house. The neighbors took a tour of our house. We got a tour of theirs. We talked about the history of Alpine and building codes. Ice tea. Water. Somehow I started clearing rocks out of their tilled area. The birthday party got louder as they blared XM 80's music, "Girls just want to have fun" and "Jack and Diane," hooping and hollaring at our digging work. The party boys started spraying down everyone with the hose. The sun slanted through the trees and I could feel the start of a sunburn on my lower back and behind my shoulders. Covered in dust, I felt like Pig Pen and very in the moment.

If it had been any other place, any other time, I would have been impatient with these sidetracks. But I thought instead of, years ago, how long it would take me to do sales calls when I designed advertising for the local paper. Hours sometimes, at one shop, just listening to the owner and/or customers discuss their lives, their hopes, their enemies. I learned to slow down. I learned a lot more about humanity- theirs and my own. I have a wedding to attend tomorrow. And a close friend is about to have a baby. A wonderful woman from my church was buried today, right in the dirt on a ranch south of town. Life is starting, life is ending, life goes on right in your face, in ways you often miss in the city.

I never did get to use the tiller. But I made new friends. I got a good workout and I was reminded of a different pace. Lots of potential for the summer.