Pathfinders...

The side yard is so ugly it makes me cringe. I don't usually look at that part of the yard because it's such a mess. Huge slate slabs haphazardly placed in odd angles. I can't seem to tell if it was done on purpose or if it's a piece of yard art gone wrong. With that in mind, I look at you and get ready to dig.

We pull up pieces and lay them out. I watch as you dig flat spots in the ground to make a pattern that my mind can easily process. I don't do abstract very well.

The sun-baked slate is hot and heavy in our hands. One by one, a new spot is dug out and the slab is placed in it's new spot. Side by side we work to make this happen.

Very few words are spoken. A few gestures here and there, and a bit of grunting as large, odd-sized items push their weight against our bodies.

Large. Small. Large. Medium. Small. Large.

The pieces start to fill in the puzzle we try to figure out.

The small rocks are difficult to move, but we try our hardest to lay the best foundation for our design. A bridge and a path.

A bridge to go over the bigger rocks. Ones that can turn our ankles if we aren't careful enough. A path to take us easily from one spot to another. Something pretty to look at. I'm tired of tripping over obnoxious thistle in the dark.

We finish our new walkway. It is clean and sparse. but in time, the grass will grow in-between the slate pieces. A softness will envelope the crisp lines and the side yard will look as if somebody cares.

It took all afternoon. We were hot, sweaty, dirty, bruised and dehydrated, but the path was solid. Sometimes that's what it takes to make your own path. Remember to have a friend help you, otherwise you might get lost.