Old man in the field

The old man wandered around the field. He was looking at the tree line. He could see that he needed to trim some limbs, to make it look presentable. He stood there for a minute looking at the trees, thinking about what materials he would need for the job. He would need a saw, the small chainsaw, some clippers, a ladder, a wheelbarrow. Somehow, what seemed a simple task at first, now became one of serious undertaking. 


He turned back towards the barn. Things just weren't what they were before. He remembered a time when He was young and there were no power tools. You had to do everything by hand. In some ways, those times seemed simpler to him. Today's world seemed so outlandish, like something out of a comic book. Power this, and power that. Phones that did the same thing as a small computer, computers that did the same thing as a phone, machines that did the work of three men, cars that got 30 to 40 miles per the gallon. Yes, the times were so different.


He opened the doors to the barn, gathering his tools slowly. He remembered growing up on this farm as a child, herding cows, picking corn, life had definitely been simpler then. He remembered cool summer eaves holding hands with his future wife, walking by the corn fields, wading in the streams. They had gotten married in this house years later, after he had finished college. 


His life had been happy, he had children, and made sure they were provided and cared for. He lived a good life, and had been well rewarded with many blessings and many grandchildren. Now, even his grandchildren had children, he had gotten very old in the process. 


As he laid the tools in the trailer, he looked at the "Mule" his son had bought him to help him get around. He had said then "What was wrong with his two feet?" But, it did make life easier on him. He couldn't walk as well anymore, and hadn't been back to the back field in a while. This made it easier for him to check on his property. 


Reaching the trees once more, he started methodically setting up. He could hear his son in the background, as a child, asking him, "Daddy, what are you doing? Can I help?" He missed his children and grandchildren. But they had their lives to live. They came to visit every so often, but they were so busy, those visits had gotten fewer and fewer. He almost didn't recongize their children anymore when they came by, the children had grown so much. 


He lead a lonely life, but it was all that was left to him. He had given up everything he had once dreamed to be a father and a husband, and the repayment for that was to be alone. He laughed to himself, "You die alone." The old woman had been right all those years ago. She had told him. 


Cranking the chainsaw, he started up the ladder. He might be old, but there was always work that needed to be done.




(more to come... not sure... not sure where this is going, or if it is. Just a thought that formed in my brain... needed to be put down in a story, but not sure if this is what I wanted to say.... we will see.)