I don’t mind dirty windows, but I do mind the view. The front windows have miniblinds hanging from them that have been here longer than me and the slats stay open with the blinds pulled halfway up. The windows on the back of the house, where daylight pours in have the same miniblinds, but with opened drapes to soften the edges.

People who step into my front yard say, “It feels like a sanctuary”, but I’ve never done anything with the backyard. It’s primarily been the dogs domain where I open the backdoor and they run outside to be dogs, until recently. First thing in the morning, I’ve been stepping outside with them and pondering how to instill a similar feeling as the front, or to help this area be less doglike and more soothing. This all began with a discontented view through a couple of windows.

This yard doesn’t grow grass, but it does produce a blanket of pretty weeds you can view here. It’s mainly dirt, but a couple of months ago, we had a good rain and afterwards I noticed that same weed popping up in the lower backyard. This is the part of the yard that Denver dog loves to roll around in, but rolling was killing the groundcover of weeds. He’d go from being white to brown daily, so one evening, I began turning this sprinkler on the lower back yard and learned that this dog will roll in dirt, but not mud, so the groundcover returned.

That was my start with improving the backyard and a week later it’s evolved from dirt to green. It can be daunting to initiate change in our lives because our mind plays from start to finish, which can feel overwhelming, so we cast it aside altogether, but stay focused on the start and keep starting.

Looking out my kitchen window I saw a couple of more things to do and stepped outside to greet the tasks. Start small with one thing and that will inspire the next step, but the most important part is to find your start.

Feature Photo by Kai Oberhäuser on Unsplash