When I say I love playing in the dirt, that can mean a couple of things…running around barefoot outside, or running the field cultivator in the spring, or various other pieces of equipment throughout the growing season. Occasionally, running the field cultivator in the spring and running around barefoot outside can happen at the same time.
Every spring, I get so tempted to whip off the shoes and socks and run around barefoot in the middle of a field. This spring, it appeared that there was an issue with one of the tires on the field cultivator, so I stopped the tractor and went to check it out. The soil was so soft that it filled my shoes as my foot sank in. I removed my shoes to empty them, and left them off for awhile. The next time I needed to stop, I went barefoot. It was heavenly! I may or may not have taken way longer to check the equipment that time than was necessary. After a few rounds, I stopped again, inhaling the smell of the freshly turned earth as I sunk my toes into the topsoil. I felt like a kid again.
The field I was in is bordered by two well traveled county roads. Each time I went out barefoot, I was hoping the traffic going by wouldn’t notice. That would be a little hard to explain in church on Sunday…I was just out playing in the dirt. Thinking back on it, though, I wonder why we need to feel embarrassed when we are enjoying life by running barefoot in a field, or spending an afternoon with our families, or sitting on the front porch in the evening. If we just slog through life without taking the time to smell the roses every now and then, we miss out on so much. I don’t want my biggest regrets in life to be that I never took the time to enjoy my surroundings, or that I was too serious to play a little.
Next spring, you may find me playing in the dirt again…instead of shaking your head like I’m crazy, come join me!
Day 1: Pizza
Day 2: Shoes
Day 3: Shout Stain Remover
Day 4: The Ability to Vote
Day 5: My Heritage
Day 6: NASCAR
Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography
Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray
Day 9: Peacefulness
Day 10: Winter’s First Snow
Day 11: Freedom
Day 12: Dairy
Day 13: Jonathan
Day 14: Coffee
Day 15: Seasons
Day 16: Scones
Day 17: #AgNerds
Day 18: Playing in the Dirt
Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers
