Photo for 11-5-09For the past few weeks I’ve been procrastinating about getting outside and raking the blanket of leaves that cover our front yard.  As I looked out the window last Sunday I realized that my house was the only one on the block without a neatly lined row of yard waste bags along the curb.  The time had come and I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer, so I got the troops up off the couch and the three of us headed outside to work.

As I was raking I thought back to a segment we did last fall with Priority Health.  Could this annoying task actually be benefiting us more than just sprucing up the curb appeal of our house?  I dug into the Where You Live archives and found that raking leaves for one hour can burn up to 250 calories.  In addition to the health benefits, I realized there were some other rewards I was reaping as well.  When I heard Sophia’s giggles come out from under the big leaf pile, I realized that this was precious time my husband and I were both spending with our daughter.  In the hustle and bustle of the work week, it’s a rare occasion that the three of us all have a couple hours to spend together just having fun.

At the end of the afternoon, the task that had started out “annoying” to me, turned into a lot more than just a neat row of yard waste bags at the curb.

Any chores or tasks you’ve dreaded doing that have turned out to be a blessing in disguise?