Why Do I Mow The Grass?

People often ask me how I think of stuff to write about, and a typical answer by me is, “I don’t know. Ideas simply pop into my head.” Or I might say, “God puts ideas into my head. He tells me what to write about.” And that’s how it happened today as I was mowing the grass, even though I have asthma and a grass allergy.

Why I mow when I have a grass allergy and asthma

“Because I’m stupid,” would be the simplest answer. And, quite frankly, it’s probably true. One of my biggest triggers is mowing the grass. It doesn’t bother me so much anymore when others cut the grass which is a good thing considering I live in a town where grass mowing is an everyday occurrence.

Another good answer is, “I enjoy it. I want to cut the grass. I feel productive when I cut the grass. I love walking behind that loud gas-guzzling mower." Walking behind a loud machine often reminds me of Tim Allen’s comedy. “Woo Hoo! It’s a man’s job,” Allen would say, grunting. It’s not necessarily a man’s job, but in our society, it’s often expected of the guy to cut the grass.

Doing the things I "can't"

Maybe I want to cut the grass because I have asthma and a grass allergy. Maybe I want to do it because I can’t. And on those days I’m feeling fine, I think I can do it and still be fine. Yet that often is not the case. It's not cutting grass, per se, that triggers my asthma. It’s mainly the particles of grass, wood, and dust that spews up into the air and becomes aerosolized. You inhale this stuff. It lands in your eyes and irritates your lungs when you have asthma and allergies.

Wanting to feel normal

Another reason I did it is that I feel so darn good. I feel normal, and that’s another reason I do it. Normal guys cut the grass if they want. It’s not (my son would say, you just said snot). And, after cutting grass, my nose is snotty. My eyes are puffy. My lungs are scratchy. I am mildly short of breath. And that’s a far cry to how I would get when I used to have poorly controlled asthma.

An alternative to cutting my own grass

There really is no reason for me to have cut it. I have a kid that I hired to cut the grass for me. He does a great job. All I have to do is grab my iPhone and give him a call. He probably would have come right over, and all it costs me is $20. I’m not too cheap to pay that $20. It’s well worth it to keep my allergies and asthma at bay.

So, why did I just cut the grass? It’s because I have a week off work and have the time. It's because I want to. It's because it has been very hot and humid, but today it's cool and dry out. It feels great. A great day for cutting the grass. I did it this time because of all of those reasons.

And it’s done. It looks great.

Moved into a new home

I just bought a new house, as you may know, back in November. My previous house was an apartment. The landlord paid someone else to cut the grass. My house before that was mostly weeds and dust. It was very hard to cut the grass there. Plus, it was a big yard. My current house has nice, plush, green grass. It’s also small and very doable with a push mower. So, much less dust is aerosolized so it’s better for this asthmatic to mow.

Feeling accomplished

Still, why did I do it? I’m 50 and have a good job. I have severe asthma. I have a kid hired to cut my grass. There are no excuses. If every day of life were a test, today I’d have to give myself an F for cutting the grass. Looks great. Looks nice. I feel good like I accomplished something. Still, this allergic asthmatic should not be cutting the grass.

Are you like me and cut your grass despite what it does to your asthma and allergies, or are you one of the lucky ones and it doesn’t bother you? Let us know in the comments below!