Death of a mowerDeath of a mowerIt was a sad day at the Patton household. I knew we were living on borrowed time, like a disease that would one day claim the life of my beloved . . . lawn mower. You see, this was my very first mower, and it has been my good friend for 19 years.

The love affair began when my wife and I bought our first home. While she worried over new curtains and lamps, I was joyfully out shopping for a lawn mower to mow our freshly laid sod. It seems just like yesterday that I unboxed the mower, giddy as a child on Christmas morning.

I can remember proudly mowing my small plot of land, like an urban farmer tending his crops. Each fall I would take care to properly winterize and store away the machine. Each spring I got excited at the greening of the grass, knowing I could soon bring the mower out of storage.

I had a feeling this past spring that it would be my last with my trusty yard companion. I am sure that the early stages of grief started with that first pull of the cord. With each passing month I entered into another stage, until, at last, it finally happened.

But first, let me go back a year. Back in 2008 my mower started to use oil. That was my first clue that something was up. Each time I added gas I also had to add oil. From that point on the rest of the summer became somewhat comical. I am sure my neighbors now think I am that “crazy gardening guy.”

Not long into the season another terminal symptom appeared. Rounding a corner, the right rear wheel fell off. Not wanting to invest in the manufacturer’s wheel, I bought a cheap replacement. It fit, but not quite right. For some reason it kept shearing the pin that held on the wheel. So pretty much every three of four mowings, the wheel would fall off. On the next to the last mowing that year, I put that “blankety-blank” wheel on at least three times!

If the wheel was not a sign from God, then the muffler surely sent a signal loud and clear. The bolts that held the muffler onto the engine stripped out, which meant no matter how much I tightened them they would work their way out. You know, those bolts get hot, being in contact with the muffle. When they fell into the grass they’d smolder for awhile as they cooled. At least I could find them by their smoke signals.

This year, the last signs of life came when I pulled the cord and the top of the crankshaft popped off. But I still would not give up. I found a few screws to reattach the crankshaft. Amazingly, as it had for hundreds of pulls over our 19 great years together, the mower started right up on the first tug. Just like the very first time we met.

As I proudly mowed that afternoon I realized my lawn’s best friend was about to give up the ghost. For the next 30 minutes I relived all my happy memories of this old friend. With just a few passes left to finish the job, I stopped to move the garden hose. When I went back to pull the cord, that was it. The life was gone. My friend of 19 years had faded into lawn mower heaven. As I pushed the mower to the curb for trash pickup I felt sad at my loss and had to come to grips with the reality that our love affair was over.

That following Sunday I quietly drove the minivan to the store to pick out my new mower. It was almost a week before I even opened the box. Deep down, I miss my first mower — its touch, its sounds and all its ailments. But like all things in life, times change and we must move on to new challenges and opportunities.

You might be asking yourself what is the point of all this? The point is, there are many life lessons to be learned in the garden. If you take time to apply these lessons to everyday life, I truly believe that you will find an internal peace that can only come with the joy of gardening. I find the most peace and time to reflect on life is when I’m in the garden. Don’t miss your time in a garden and I am sure you will feel enriched.