Many Hands Make Light Work

My garden is my joy.

Every year, almost overnight, it goes from grubby to bubbly. The brown disappears. The flowers show off. The grasses start dancing in the wind. The whole yard seems to wake up and remind me why I love it so much.

Normally, by now, everything would be done.

This year?

Not so much.

I put my pink begonias out over the course of four days. Four days! The border is finally planted. My tall grasses are doing what they always do and showing off without any help from me. Meanwhile, weeds have practically moved into my rose garden and signed a lease.

The backyard is still a bit of a mess.

The problem isn’t desire.

The problem is time.

My children are older now. There are volleyball practices, basketball games, tournaments, and family commitments. I have my day job at Harley-Davidson. I have my voiceover career. And as a mature Black female voice actor, I am blessed to receive a lot of auditions and opportunities.

Truthfully, becoming the go-to Black female voice actor is one of my biggest dreams.

So something had to give.

And this year, for a little while, it was the garden.

Now, before you think this is a sad story about weeds taking over my flower beds, let me tell you what I learned.

There is room for both.

Sometimes we think our only options are to do everything ourselves or let something important fall apart.

But there is a third option.

Ask for help.

You can expand your capacity.

Or you can recruit help.

I chose help.

My son has officially become the Mulch Man.

I am paying him to spread mulch and water flowers for me. He charges a real fee, too. No family discount whatsoever.

And honestly?

I’m happy to pay it.

Because while he’s helping me, I’m helping him.

I’m teaching him how to work. How to take pride in a job. How to finish what he starts. How to be excellent.

Now, if we’re being completely honest, “teaching excellence” is also code for me standing outside saying, “A little more over there. No, not like that. Like this.”

In other words, I get to boss him around.

It’s a win-win.

The garden gets done.

He earns money.

And we spend time together.

The older I get, the more I realize that trying to do everything by yourself isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a fast track to exhaustion.

Some of us wear independence like a trophy.

We say things like, “I got it.”

“I’ll do it myself.”

“I don’t need any help.”

But the truth is, sometimes the strongest thing you can do is raise your hand and say, “Can you help me with this?”

Whether it’s your garden, your business, your family, your dreams, or your next big goal, you don’t have to carry it all alone.

Many hands really do make light work.

And sometimes asking for help doesn’t just get the job done.

It gives someone else the opportunity to grow, contribute, and shine too.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go inspect some mulch.

The Mulch Man is on the clock.

Life isn’t perfect. Neither and I. But every day gives us another chance to “get inspired again”

Yolanda Spearman
THE Mature Black Female Voice Actor