Have you ever looked at your backyard? Like really looked at it. I’ve only recently come to realize how pretty mine is. I don’t have a pool or a patio or a garden. It’s just a big fenced-in area of grass. It used to have a soccer net but now it has a hammock and one green Adirondack chair that is seemingly attached to my father’s hip. 

I probably dribbled a soccer ball back there a few times. One time, we had my travel soccer team come over for a practice. My coach, Desmond, had us watch some film in my living room first and then we ran circles around my house - did I mention my front yard is a hill? It was quite the productive practice. Before we had the fence built up, we would have to chase the basketball all the way down into the woods separating our house and the one behind us. I did most of the chasing. I miss 99% of the time. 

My dog plays frisbee back there. She digs and rolls around for and in who knows what, emitting an awful smell resulting in frequent bath times. She barks at the soccer ball and likes to chase it when I dribble. We play monkey in the middle (obviously she’s in the middle, the youngest always is.) She sits underneath my dad in the Adirondack or underneath my mom in the hammock. 

We’ve had plenty of friends over back there. Birthday parties. School barbecues. Most recently, we had a social distance family birthday barbecue. We had a huge circle of random chairs, lawn chairs from soccer games, beach chairs, dining room chairs and the hammock. 

On our street, we are really the only house with a backyard like that. Because like I said, we live on a huge hill. Great for sledding, not so great for bike riding. Speaking of bike riding, the backyard has also seen me crash into a tree, bike on my head with the wheels spinning back and forth, dirt and leaves in my mouth. Riding a two-wheeler is hard, okay? 

We are probably the only house that could build a pool if we wanted to. I used to want that. I hate swimming though. But I like to tan. So, I tan on our deck and it’s totally sufficient. When I get too hot, I go inside and pour some water down my back or my neck. It’s like jumping in the pool but a lot less...well...wet. 

If we had built a pool, there would’ve been no room to do any of the things that I spoke to above. No soccer no frisbee no chasing no tag no nothing of the sort. 

The deer community that lives in the woods near my house have seemed to show more love for my backyard than I have all these years. They love to graze, lie in it, leave a little present for us to pick up. We even had some babies born on our lawn. Have you ever seen a brand spanking new baby dear? My apologies - I mean a fawn? It’s something else. 

Next time it’s nice out, go sit in your backyard. If you don’t have a backyard, just sit outside and look around where you live. Be GRATEFUL for the grass and the space you have, maybe not the deer pellets, but be grateful for everything else.