Two years ago, we impulse-bought a dethatcher during a Prime Day frenzy.
We only figured out what it actually did last week.
You finally buy a home, and suddenly you’re going crazy with yard tools and Prime Day deals.
But it’s actually pretty cool, even though I didn’t use it—my wife did.
It apparently has spikes and breaks up the thatch (where your grass clumps together in an unhealthy way) and is therefore, quite literally, a de-thatch-er. Who knew?
Between busy lives, Florida heat, and a large tree that is quite nice but has deep roots running through a lot of the yard, it’s been a challenge getting grass to grow where we want it to.
We’ll keep you posted on whether the dethatcher actually does its thing and helps expedite that process.
As I’m working through edits on my novel, I realize it’s kind of the same thing—essentially, dethatching a lot of the unnecessary word vomit and clumps of overwriting that choke the pacing.
I know there are some stories that are extremely long and have deeply descriptive parts, but I don’t think that’s the type of story I’m meant to write—and maybe I’m just not skilled enough at writing to pull that off successfully anyway.
I want a story that gives you enough to keep you intrigued, keep you guessing a little bit, and enjoy the journey as you keep flipping the pages.
That kind of thatch just bogs things down—on your lawn and on the page.
We’ll see if I can pull it off, but I’m certainly going to try.
After basically writing two full drafts from scratch, switching over to editing has allowed me to see my book in a different light.
I know some people do not enjoy the editing process, but it’s actually been a fun change of pace going through, rereading the book for the first time, and finding ways to tell the story more effectively without ripping up all the roots.
There are plenty of other areas in our lives where we would benefit from a little dethatching, but they’re often not the most enjoyable.
Just like it may not be fun to take the time to reread your writing and go through the editing process, it may not be fun to look at your finances, such as your budget, spending, saving, etc. and see how you can go through and dethatch some of that unnecessary bloat that’s clogging up the way your money flows.
But taking the time to do that almost always puts that part of your life in a better position, allows it to breathe, and ultimately become healthier.
So whether it’s your lawn, your draft, or your budget, don’t wait two years to break out the dethatcher. A little cleanup now can make everything grow a little better.