Hard work is good.

One of the best ways to release stress is through physical work.

My preference is yard work: specifically, gardening. I love the feel of dirt under my fingernails and the warmth of the sun on my back.

I don't like the bugs. Ick.

But I like the worms and the flowers and the smell of the weeds. We have wild rosemary and some kind of parsley that grows in our yard, too. Those always smell wonderful. Oh, and some wild lavendar from a previous owner.

Today I didn't garden, though. Today I raked sticks. (Whee!) Normally, this is a task reserved for the kids, but our weather hasn't been so great the last few months. Lots of storms and lots of tornadoes. So there were sticks and branches and limbs. I decided to do the hard stuff and let the kids load the wheelbarrow instead.

And as I raked sticks I realized it wasn't so bad. Yes, the humidity was going staight to my head and I felt as though I would pass out. Yes, I was sweaty standing still. Somehow, though, I didn't mind. Stretching my muscles felt good. Doing the work felt good. Cleansing, even.

I haven't been able to do work like that for a long while. I have celiac disease, but didn't know it. It was sapping all my energy and vitality, and I hurt all over 'most all the time. Adjusting my diet has restored so much of my health in the last few days, though, that today I could work. And it was good. That's what I like about hard work. It feels good again.