The Midwest experienced very strong winds and thunderstorms on Friday. Several tornadoes touched down here in Ohio, and local meteorologists reported wind gusts up to 85 miles per hour. There were numerous trees uprooted in my town, and branches, limbs, and sticks were scattered across just about everyone’s front yard.
We filled six large yard waste bags with sticks, branches, twigs, and fallen leaves, and we could probably still fill five or six more.
The easiest way to tackle a chore like this is to start with the biggest limbs and branches you find and make a few piles in the yard or in the mulch. Then grab any sticks you see that are more than a few feet long and keep working your way down to the smaller sticks and twigs. It might help to grab a rake or a leaf blower, but there’s really no better way than picking them up with your fingers, one at a time.
When it’s time to go from piles to yard bags, just be patient and go stick by stick, snapping them into smaller pieces as best you can. Some break easily. Others, not so much. Patience is a must, especially if the wind is still blowing, because as soon as you get one area cleaned up, more sticks and branches fall down.
As I walked to the garage for yet another yard waste bag, I sort of giggled to myself. This is a lot like any task we tackle at work or in life. Things happen that we can’t control, but we still have to deal with the aftereffects. Tackle the things that are easy to see first, then keep breaking down each obstacle one thing at a time.
Take your time. Be patient. Look around and smile because the storm has passed, at least for now. There could be more in the forecast, so enjoy the sunshine while it’s here.
Maybe that’s what they mean when they say, “stick to it.”
Leave a Reply