Lets mow the lawn!

Over the weekend, L's dad came over to look at my broken dryer and hopefully fix it. He tried to test the heating element but his tester had a dead battery so he took the part with him and came back the next day. And this time he brought one of their family's mowers with him. How could he not notice the tall, unruly grass when he was over? The plan was for me and L to tag team the lawn with their mower and mine (er...the one I'm borrowing from neighbor C) at the same time to get it done quick, while he worked on the dryer.
We had to start with walking around the yard and picking up all the trash that has accumulated in my grass from the neighbors giant, always open and always full, dumpster. Though, I'm still not convinced that the empty condom box next to the Pizza Hut box just blew in with the winds...I keep telling myself it was just garbage. No stranger really used my back yard for some kind of terrible date.
After filling up one plastic grocery bag with garbage from the back yard we could get to the mowing. L's dad started by mowing the perimeter of the yard for us, because that's what dads do I guess. I dragged my (not mine) mower out of the garage, checked to make sure it had gas, and then worked on getting it started. Of course, I remember the last time I mowed the lawn and I definitely remember falling down trying to start the mower. L finally got the thing started and I worked on the tall patch of grass nearest to my house. L took over for her dad on their mower and he went inside to work on the dryer.
I got a small section done while L continued the path her dad had started. He came out to check on us and decided that maybe I should follow behind L as she mowed, since the mower I was using doesn't have the ability to adjust and can't handle tall grass really well. I had to constantly keep the mower up on its back wheels so the blade wouldn't stop in all the tall grass and kill the motor. What an arm workout. If I followed behind L, she could get the tall grass with her big mower and mine would have an easier time of it. L's dad went back inside as I started to follow her.
After a couple of times around the yard, the mower died and I of course had trouble starting it. L helped again. I was really pulling that stupid string as hard as I could but I guess I just don't have the strength to do it on my own. Which made me feel like an idiot.
With the mower started, thanks to L, I continued along the path. I still had to go much slower then L because even though I was now cutting shorter grass, my lawn is terribly uneven. With all the lumps and bumps I still had to keep the mower levitated to make sure it wasn't going to break or die. But it did die again. And this time when L helped I couldn't handle myself. She was laughing, because every time I mow the lawn I have this problem. Usually I'm able to laugh through it too, but at this moment, I was just tired of it. I felt like I was incapable and started to cry. What if I was doing this chore alone? I would never be able to accomplish anything if I can't even get the mower to turn on. L got the mower started and tried to find out what was wrong with me but I just took off with my now running mower to follow her path. I still had to go slow, and she was about to lap me when her dad came out to tell me my dryer was not going to be fixed because the problem was not the heating element and could be any number of things that I'll need a professional to look at. Or just get a new dryer because that would probably be cheaper then paying someone for labor and parts. Then he suggested I move to the front yard, where the grass was shorter and more manageable for my non adjusting mower.
With L still trucking along like a champ, because she likes mowing, I moved the mower to the front and started picking up all the trash in the front yard. I filled another bag of garbage, none of it mine (and yes, I really do know that it was all not mine because my garbage can stays closed, and everything I picked up was stuff that I don't use or have never heard of) and L's dad started mowing the perimeter. So the grass cuttings are going out and all that mumbo jumbo. I leaned against my car as he started and when he came back around I got ready to take over. Apparently, he was going to go around one more time. Then again. And again. By the time he finally gave over control of the mower (keeping it running for me, thank god) almost half my front yard was already done.
As I pushed the mower around my yard, I saw L's dad check out the neighbors dumpster, looking for a possible way to prevent the garbage pile up in my yard. He looked at the janky fence that barely stays up in the wind. It was a comforting feeling knowing that he was trying to look out for me, but in my current state of mind it made me sad. I felt like I was incapable because he kept trying to make things easy on me.
I thought how nice it was of him, not just come and look at my dryer, but to want to help with my lawn. How nice it is of L to willingly help mow the grass I have neglected. I thought, this is what it's like to have a dad come and check up on you. This is what dads do for their daughters, and here this man was, helping me out like this, and he barely knows me. I mean, I've spent some time with him when I go to their house to share a family dinner with them. They invited me over for Christmas. His daughters are 2 of my closest friends so I can understand that while he and I don't really know each other well, he knows I'm at least good enough for his daughters to trust.
I've never really had a father figure in my life. I've considered my grampy a father figure, even though I never asked him for advice and he wasn't constantly around until he finally settled down in Portland not too many years ago. He moved around a lot in my younger years and I would see him at least a couple of times a year, and when he finally got an apartment here in town I saw him weekly. He helped me out when I needed it. Helping me get my first car...and my second...and the current car I have. Lending me his truck when I needed to haul something big or for one of my many moves in the last few years. Now he's planning on moving away and thinking about that in conjunction with L's dad being all fatherly...
And then L came out from the back yard. She had mowed almost the entire thing. Her dad was now packing the garbage that the garbage men woudln't take into my garbage can so it could finally be hauled off. He even dismantled the broken hut that had been laying in the yard since last summer and put it in the can too. My yard looked brand new. All freshly mowed and cleaned up.
How lucky am I to have these people in my life? I can't tell you how thankful I am to have people like this supporting me and helping me all the time. Sometimes it's hard to find the good, even when I know I'm such a blessed person. It's hard sometimes,to see the silver lining in life. Then L and her dad come over and mow my lawn, and don't judge me for having a momentary breakdown just because they're good people, and my faith in humanity is restored.
L decided the next time we mow my lawn we'll do it crop circle style.