Introduction - Will Shovel (and write) for the Cause

Last weekend, I convinced (bribed) my son Tom into helping me spread compost on a big reseeding project. The task at hand was to move the compost from the big pile in the dump truck and spread it evenly on the surface of the lawn area I was hired to renovate.

After about an hour of hard work, Tom asked me, "Why are you doing this?" Well, I was thrilled to launch into my long winded explanation of how no one builds lawns with quality materials and craftsmanship anymore and that doing things right at the beginning sets you up for later success. My son listened patiently and we had put a pretty good dent in the pile before I was done with my endless diatribe. Then he rephrased his question while nodding at the shovel full of compost in my hands.... "No Dad, why are YOU doing THIS?" The emphasis making this a completely different question caught me off guard. "Let me think about that for another yard and I'll get back to you," I responded.

After the seed was raked in and the chopped hay mulch thrown, we stood back and admired our work. Now I had to deliver my plausible explanation for why I'm willing to work so hard at what appears to be chain gang punishment.

I finally sorted out my answer, "I guess I'm doing this to make a statement. I want to show people that working with Nature delivers better results and costs less over time than using chemicals. I'm hoping that some will notice the difference in this lawn and perhaps a few of them will go organic too. Maybe some converts will convince their friends and neighbors to give up pesticides. Perhaps, because we shoveled compost here today, a child somewhere will not be born with birth defects or develop cancer." Then we put the tools back into the truck and went home for our well earned dinner.