The lawnmower

I am one of those self empowering women.  I enjoy doing things myself that would normally be classified as "men's work."  I am student of history and so more and more frequently things that are defined as a man's work frequently correspond with what was once expected of anyone who worked in that field.  Since I have left California I can now change the tires on my car, check the oil, mow the lawn, jump start many different kinds of vehicles (in under five minutes, start to finish), take apart and fix three different kinds of vacuums, tend and grow a garden (for the edification of the local wildlife), and operate a weed whacker, power saw, and hedge trimmer, pitch a reliable tent, etc. etc.  Okay so the list isn't that extensive, but when you consider how difficult these things were for me to learn and add in that I didn't know ANY OF THEM before I moved to Texas, it is slightly more impressive.  

It is in my nature to enjoy trying new things, especially things that I didn't learn as the eldest girl in a family of lots of boys.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my brothers.  I can hardly get through a conversation without bringing up at least one of them.  I guess it made more sense when I lived with them but it's still very entertaining to consider.  Anyways, due to their overzealous nature of "taking care" of their "little" sister, I never had the opportunity to learn most of these things. 

All that being said I find it very frustrating when a device that has worked in the past, has had no conditions change, been generally reliable, and has now decided to be generally ornery, very frustrating.  This is only exacerbated by the fact that I asked TWO male neighbors to help me.  When neither of them succeeded I figure it could possibly be due to the fact that I am a small female.  Then Steven got home- pulled out the lawnmower, ripped it once, and mowed the lawn. 

Lord, grant me God, grant me the serenity to accept that the lawnmower hates me,
The courage to try my best,
And the wisdom not to end that stupid machine.