Sweat, Soil and the Joy of Toil

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

-Margaret Atwood

I've got to agree with Ms. Atwood: if my day has ended with soil under my nails, it's almost certainly been a great day--just like any activity that leaves me soaked in sweat has probably left me feeling great. And find me at the end of a day that has me both sweaty and wearing the evidence of some good, hard outdoors work and you will definitely find me smiling like a pig in mud.

As nature gets down in earnest to her work of renewal -- and there's evidence of that everywhere we look this week -- she calls us to join her. There are a Winter's worth of fallen branches to clear (maybe even some work with the chainsaw!), grass to be reseeded, flowers to plant and soil to turn in preparation for the vegetables that will grow there. A big part of the joy of that work is the anticipation of the summer evenings to be spent in that cleared yard, on that green grass, admiring those flowers and chomping on those vegetables. But that's far from all of it; the work itself brings a profound joy of its own.

For the warrior, every season is a time for renewal. The quest for growth in every sense is a constant one. And it's a hard one. But the results are worth it and so is the work itself. Here's to a Spring of soil, sweat, and smiles.