esmaspäev, november 22, 2004
Shoveling
We had another inch or two of snow this evening, so I dutifully went out to shovel the sidewalk outside of our house. Since we live in a corner house with a big yard, we have lots of sidewalk to shovel, but since it is the light, powdery kind of show, it is easy enough to push aside but it still takes a while.
One of the first things our landlord told us when we first moved into the house was to be sure to shovel the walk whenever it snows. It is expected that this will happen no matter what. When I saw what happened in front of the houses up and down our street after the first snow, I knew that people took this idea seriously. Every house had a shoveled sidewalk, except ours because I hadn't picked up a shovel yet! Only about an inch had fallen--nothing I would normally worry about--but everyone made sure that their neighbors had a clear walkway, which is especially important because many people here walk everywhere and our house is on a major throughfare.
Now I take that social obligation seriously. Chris or I will be out there shoveling as soon as there is snow to push. It's encouraging to see how people take personal responsibility to clear the streets, the same way that, almost every day since we've been here, I have seen older ladies in different parts of the city sweeping the sidewalks clean of dirt and paper with their twig-bristle brooms. It's a form of loving your neighbor as yourself, something I don't always do so well. Jesus called this one of the two most important commandments, but it is often neglected. It's so easy to get absorbed in things that seem far more important and ignore the simple, little things that will make life easier for those around us. I'm glad each time it snows I'll have a reminder.
--Tim
One of the first things our landlord told us when we first moved into the house was to be sure to shovel the walk whenever it snows. It is expected that this will happen no matter what. When I saw what happened in front of the houses up and down our street after the first snow, I knew that people took this idea seriously. Every house had a shoveled sidewalk, except ours because I hadn't picked up a shovel yet! Only about an inch had fallen--nothing I would normally worry about--but everyone made sure that their neighbors had a clear walkway, which is especially important because many people here walk everywhere and our house is on a major throughfare.
Now I take that social obligation seriously. Chris or I will be out there shoveling as soon as there is snow to push. It's encouraging to see how people take personal responsibility to clear the streets, the same way that, almost every day since we've been here, I have seen older ladies in different parts of the city sweeping the sidewalks clean of dirt and paper with their twig-bristle brooms. It's a form of loving your neighbor as yourself, something I don't always do so well. Jesus called this one of the two most important commandments, but it is often neglected. It's so easy to get absorbed in things that seem far more important and ignore the simple, little things that will make life easier for those around us. I'm glad each time it snows I'll have a reminder.
--Tim
