Zen and the Art of Tractor Maintenance

I find repairing things to be deeply satisfying. 

It’s the whole process,  from taking something apart, finding a broken piece, replacing it, and reassembling a machine in the precise way it was designed.

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It relaxes me and puts me into a state of flow.

A few years ago, I heard grinding and a loud bang under my tractor while mowing the lawn. I looked back and noticed several pieces of metal lying on the grass.

On my next pass, I stopped the tractor and picked up a few of the pieces. Black grease covered my hands as I realized they were pieces of the gears from the transaxle.

I got back on the tractor and shifted through the gears, but I noticed that the 5th and 6th gears were gone. The tractor was still working, so I finished mowing the yard. I postponed the costly repair and continued to mow without the missing gears for several weeks.

One day while cutting along the edge of the woods bordering my backyard, something changed. A raised mount of dirt and grass bumped the tractor off course causing it to head directly into the woods.

I hit the brake and tried to shift into reverse, but the brake failed and the gearshift wouldn’t budge.

I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t reverse.

The tractor chewed up green briar and anything else in its path.

In a final desperate act, I turned off the ignition and the tractor came to a stop.

Unfortunately, it was several feet into the thick woods and I had to get help to pull it out.

When I examined the transaxle, I realized it was locked in 4th gear because sand and grass packed the casing. The whole transaxle needed to be replaced.

I checked a few local repair shops and decided to fix it myself. The DIY repair would cost one-third of a repair shop’s price.

As with many home repairs, the project expanded until I’d replaced the transaxle, belts, blades, air filter, oil, oil filter, spark plug, and brake pads. It took five hours, but I fixed it myself and saved a lot of money.

I did a victory lap around the yard like I’d just won the Daytona 500. I shifted through each gear and confirmed that everything worked as intended.

Success! Cue the dopamine rush.

That project reminded me of Robert M. Pirsig’s book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. In it, he mentions that machine maintenance is “tedious drudgery” for some, but an enjoyable pastime for others.

For me, there’s a Zen-like calm and complete focus where time disappears when I’m immersed in these projects.

I started taking things apart and fixing them when I was in elementary school. My first project, a flip-style alarm clock, didn’t go so well because I forgot to check how the strings and pulleys were arranged inside.

When I finished, I could hear the motor running, but the numbers didn’t change. I learned an important lesson about attention to detail, but I fell in love with the process.

Finding Flow

When I’m doing a repair or building something, I’m completely focused on the task at hand and not thinking about other responsibilities or life issues.

I enter a deep flow state where time disappears and I don’t feel fatigue.

I feel great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment when I complete the projects. The more complicated and unfamiliar the project, the greater the satisfaction and feeling of calm.

Substitute the word “activity” for the word machine in this quote from Pirsig’s book and the meaning extends beyond machine maintenance.

If the machine produces tranquility it's right. If it disturbs you it's wrong until either the machine or your mind is changed. - Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

It means that if what you’re doing produces tranquility (or calm, or flow), it’s the right path. If it disturbs you, it’s wrong until you either change the activity or your opinion of the activity.

We grow by challenging ourselves and reaching outside of our comfort zones. It changes how we think and feel.

Seek out these opportunities, follow your curiosity, and find your flow.

You’ll be amazed by the impact it has on you.

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