Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction | Non-fiction: Adventure with a Purpose

  • Home
  • Mike Scott Thrillers
    • Held Hostage: Search for the Juncal
    • Water Crisis: Day Zero
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • The 3rd Key: Sharks in the Water
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Heart of the Maya: Murder for the Gods
    • Wreck of the Huron: Cuban Secrets
    • Guardians’ Keep: Mystery below the Adriatic
    • Flooding Hollywood: Fanatics at the Dam
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
  • Withrow Key
    • Lyin’ Fish
    • Tales from Withrow Key
  • Thriller Audiobooks
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • Lyin’ Fish
  • Agent AJ West
  • About the Author
    • Scuba diving thrillers!
    • Six Questions with Eric Douglas
    • Publicity and Interviews
  • Nonfiction
    • For Cheap Lobster
    • Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery
    • Oral History
      • Batter Up!
      • Memories of the Valley
      • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
      • Capturing Memories: How to Record Oral Histories
    • Dive-abled: The Leo Morales Story
    • Keep on, Keepin’ On: A Breast Cancer Story
    • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
    • Russia: The New Age
    • Scuba Diving Safety
  • Free Short Fiction
  • Collections
    • Mike Scott Box Set 3 (Books 7-10)
    • Mike Scott Box-Set 4-6
    • Mike Scott Box-Set 1-3
    • Tales from Withrow Key
    • Sea Turtle Rescue and Other Stories
    • River Town
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Mowing grass is Zen

Mowing grass is Zen

April 23, 2014 By Eric Douglas

Trudging around my yard a few days ago, pushing a heavy, noisy machine back and forth (and back and forth) for the first time in 2014, I couldn’t help thinking to myself how glad I was winter is finally over…not that it isn’t holding on for dear life mind you. Spring Break in the mountains of West Virginia with my family included sideways snow.

This, of course, isn’t the first time winter has held on so long. I remember one Spring at Marshall (in the late 80s) where we were playing in the sun at Ritter Park on Sunday and then got several inches of snow on Tuesday. I was sunburned and shivering as I walked to class.

Still, the trees are budding, the grass is growing (if unevenly) and birds are chasing each other through the trees. My snow shovel is still out next to the front steps and I think I can realistically put it back in the garage now.

Some people are fanatical about their yards; applying fertilizers and mowing, pruning, blowing and trimming daily. That’s great if that’s what you’re into. It’s just not me. I’m sure I’m a disappointment to a couple of my neighbors. They seem to tolerate me though, only looking at me with pity when they think my back is turned.

Mowing the grass is a sort of meditation for me. I can zone out and spend an hour or so outside. My phone stays in the house and I don’t worry about calls or emails. Those times are increasingly rare so I take advantage of them whenever I can. All too soon, everyone will be complaining about the heat and the humidity and staying inside in the air conditioning. Not me. As a writer, I spend too much time connected to my computer writing about life (it begins to feel like I’m jacked directly into it) and not enough time out actually experiencing it.

If I can’t get outside and get some action, I think I’ll start up my lawnmower and get some “quiet time”. Maybe my neighbors who spend all their time working on their yards know something I don’t….

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Get a free, exclusive short story!

When you sign up, you can download a free Mike Scott short story collection. Theses three stories are only available to members of the mailing list. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you or sell your email address. We hate that, too.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

How I got into diving!

https://youtu.be/gKhw-4tORAM

Real Thugs: A Cult of Murder — Small groups of travelers have disappeared all over the mid-Atlantic without a trace. When bodies turn up with what appear to be ritual markings, FBI Agent AJ West is on the hunt for what might be a serial killer. Or something even more sinister. It’s a race against […]

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

View Book

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Going to the circus! February 20, 2023
  • Cayman Cowboys is now an Audiobook! November 24, 2020
  • Halloween 2020 – as if reality wasn’t scary enough October 30, 2020
  • Real Trick and What Noise? October 30, 2020
  • Local Diving — Summersville Lake September 21, 2020

Blog posts, by category

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 ·