Life Lessons from Scalping Lawns
OUCH!
This past weekend, I scalped my yard.
If you don’t live in a region like the Southeast, you may have never heard of “scalping” your grass. It's the practice of mowing your lawn as low as possible in early spring. Here’s how the Lawn Doctor® blog describes it: “Scalping is mostly suitable for warm-season grasses like Bermuda grass. This is because these types of grasses go dormant during the winter and require a boost to start growing again in the spring.”
Important things to remember when scalping are:
1) TIMING — Scalping should only be done in early spring. If you do it any other time, you will damage your lawn.
2) OUCH — If grass could speak, it would shout, “Ouch!” because you’re cutting it as low as possible (I filled 20 yard bags with grass clippings—a typical mow fills only two or three).
3) PURPOSEFUL — The purpose of scalping is to get rid of dead thatch and worthless debris.
4) GROWTH — Scalping encourages healthy growth and a stronger, more beautiful yard.
When Life Gives You a Scalped Lawn…
If you’re like most people, the most significant growth you have experienced in your life has probably come during “scalping” seasons. This has definitely been true for me!
And this weekend, while I was busy mowing and bagging mounds of dead, worthless grass clippings, I thought back to several of the “scalping” seasons in my life and realized:
1) TIMING — The timing was always right. Scalping occurred in seasons where I had serious blind spots.
2) OUCH — Unlike grass, I can speak, and I did say, “Ouch!”
3) PURPOSEFUL — Although the process was painful, I can see now that dead, worthless ideas and traits were cut out of my life, bagged up, and thrown out. That was a very good thing!
4) GROWTH — Like most people, I wish I didn’t have to go through these painful experiences. Still, I’m beyond grateful for the healthy growth they produce within me.
One final thought. As someone who embraces a Biblical worldview, the promise of Romans 8:28 is encouraging to me. It says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” In other words, whenever I face adversity or challenges, this verse reminds me that God purposefully uses those seasons for my good and His glory. Knowing this is an extra assurance that the process is worth it.
Want More?
“Success” is a word that is thrown around quite a bit. Is real success making it to the top, earning a bunch of money, becoming famous, winning awards, or something else?
Success can include all the things listed above and more, but one major ingredient to real success is making a positive difference in the lives of others. As my friend Joe Martin once said, “I want to do well for myself in my career and finances while doing good for others.” That sounds like a winning strategy to me!
So how can you do well for yourself while making a positive difference in the lives of others? Check out this FREE RESOURCE to learn seven characteristics of people who make a difference.