Aeration: From Lawn Care to Creative Writing

Tony spent much of today aerating Rosslyn’s still semi dormant lawns much as Bob Murphy was doing in the following photograph. It wasn’t Bob’s favorite spring or fall activity. Nor Doug’s. Nor Tony’s… I’m not 100% certain why. Perhaps because aerating the lawn is noisy and a bit boring. Plodding. Trodding along behind the aeration machine, maintaining the pattern perfectly in order to ensure that all of Rosslyn’s grass is 100% hole-punched. But I’m veering off my intended. I’m hoping to ponder an unusual (but intriguing) possibility that pushed the practice of aeration from lawn care to creative writing. Hunh?!

I’m wondering if lawn aeration might be a surprisingly apt metaphor for the creative process, especially nonfiction writing. Hair-brained? Perhaps.

Let’s start with spring aeration.

April showers bring spring aeration. Soggy conditions May not make for the postcard perfect moments conjured by the imagination, but they certainly make for more efficient lawn maintenance. Powerful core drills sink into the supple soil pulling earthy plugs up onto the surface where they will dissolve in the coming days. And perforated ground improves air circulation which fortifies root growth, holistically invigorating the health of the turf. (Source: Spring Aeration)

When we aerate Rosslyn’s lawns we’re holistically helping the compacted soil overcome tightly tangled roots, water and nutrient impermeability, and reduced oxygen access. Sometimes our creativity can become similarly compromised. Habits hem in our imaginations and familiarity feeds assumptions. Not enough fresh ideas to nourish and inspire. Too little air stifles and stunts.

But imagine aerating our compacted imaginations, extracting little soil “sausages” that permit our ideas to breathe, that invite nourishing ideas into the roots of our creativity. For a while things get messy. Mud cores clutter the lawn. From tidy green yard to cluttered chaos. It feels like we’ve made a mistake, that we’ve hone backward. But gradually conditions improve. A return to healthy growth that might not have been possible without punching holes deep into the roots to restore circulation and nourishment.

Maybe? Just an idea…