Last weekend marked the first time I ever cut the grass. I did grow up with a lawn outside my door, but I also grew up with three older brothers to draw straws for the least popular chore in the suburbs. After college it was all urban living until the kids came along, and then back to the suburbs for an admittedly privileged life of lawn service. But the pandemic plus labor shortage led to a brand-new electric, self-propelled lawn mower, which practically glistens in the shed. Drawn to the shiny new object, I volunteered to test it out.

Granted: mowing the grass is not all that complicated and maybe not even worth a mention, but small accomplishments of even the simplest, new task can have surprisingly big benefits in the realm of wellbeing. Because we know that the human brain is malleable, neuroscience has been able to map the avenues of new neural pathway creation toward the best of who we can be: more confident, more creative, more attentive, more patient, more resilient. In a word, happier.

I don't know if it was the nostalgic smell of fresh-cut grass, the Sunday afternoon sunshine and rare-for-July mild temperatures, or the physiological benefits of learning a new skill, but the experience was throughly enjoyable and I might even do it again next week.