And the lesson it teaches us about relationships

Coke Zero almost flew out of my mouth! The new neighbor, Ralph, was scalping his front lawn with a riding mower. That poor yard had never felt the burden of a 200-pound man sitting on 9-inch John Deere tires.

I considered taking a short video and sending it to my old neighbor, Brian. He cared for that yard like a first-born granddaughter. I’m pretty sure he had a name for it.

Brian watered his grass every day and meticulously push-cut it twice a week with the precision and speed of an elderly brain surgeon. A few neighbors, including me, use a professional service to make our grass green and beautiful, but Brian’s yard, whatever its name was, was the prize of the street.

Immaculate.

Then Ralph killed it.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell Brian that his grandbaby was dead.

Years of sweat, toil, and tenderness bushwhacked on one sad summer afternoon.

But this tragic story teaches an essential life lesson

Everything is temporary.

We invest time, money, and effort into so many things that won’t make the final cut.

The job giving you hypertension might get outsourced next month.

The thousands of likes and followers you’re chasing on social media are meaningless if your kids don’t like you.

And do you really need to serve on the HOA board, three church planning committees, and volunteer for the United Way while your son is at home wondering where Daddy is all the time?

Don’t Miss the Now

My daughter stepped into my office, excited to tell me about lunch with a friend and their beach plans. I was pulling out my eyelashes trying to solve a problem for a client who anxiously waited for my return call. I barely turned my head to acknowledge my daughter.

Did I not have 3 and a half minutes to turn around, smile, and share in her excitement?

My client’s problem would get solved, and he would forget about it next week.

Will my daughter ever forget how I kept my back to her and ignored her?

It’s the old joke. People are like your teeth; ignore them long enough, and they will go away forever.

We reap what we sow.

Invest in the Eternal

Our houses, cars, and jobs are temporary—even our fame. But what we invest in people can bear fruit forever. My kids will teach their children the lessons I taught them, and their kids can do the same, and on and on it goes.

Ralph is working hard to restore the yard he destroyed. That’s fine for grass, but it’s not as easy with relationships.

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