To Do It Yourself, Or To Have It Done! That Is The Question!

So you've finally decided that you want to have a water garden in your backyard. That decision has been made. You'd love to come home from the J.O.B. to your very own naturalistic vacation paradise to relax, enjoy with your better half, your kids, neighbors, and friends.   

A place to escape, to breathe deeply, to kick back and get away from it all, if only for 20 or 30 minutes. There's no question about this right?

But there's still one question left in your mind. You're in a quandary over whether or not you should

• Do it yourself, or...
• Have it done?

It's a dilemma. I mean, you're a rugged individual - a regular red blooded, John Wayne, ride off into the sunset with the leading lady kind 0' guy. Is there any real reason why you couldn't or shouldn't do this thing all by your lonesome? Your own way? No interference? Well, let's think this over. Maybe there are just a few.  

THE TOP 10 REASONS TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL...  

1. In your day job you're a business tycoon, you're used to running your own corporation. But you're NOT A WATER GARDEN INSTALLER!
2. You're 42 years old and 30 lbs. overweight and you haven't been near the health club in many months and this is PHYSICAL LABOR!
3. When you consult outside of your day job you get $75/hr. You can hire this job done for $50/hr. So when you look at it this way, YOU'RE LOSING MONEY!
4. But you'll save two or three thousand bucks by doing it yourself, right? That's what your spouse says anyway. But, in the last point, we decided for absolutely certain that you'd be losing money. So who's right? Right?
5. You know that a well trained crew of 5 can whip this job into shape and really do it right in ONLY ONE DAY! You know down deep in your heart it will take you at least four weekends. And you'd still have to carefully read every instruction in the book, and follow it to the letter. And you'd still be just hoping to get it right. I mean, think about the last time your spouse talked you into "doing it yourself'. You ended up calling in the professional who had to clean up your mess before he could get started anyway.
6. Impressing your spouse and kids with your ability to multitask gets lower and lower on your list as you consider all the possibilities.
7. Impressing your neighbors, the Joneses, with your ability to multitask or anything else, has never enjoyed a position of priority in your life.
8. Your 9 year old son who loves to play in the mud, provides you with all the fishing worms you'll ever need.
9. You're not a sado-masochist!
10. But what the heck would John Wayne do? What would Clint Eastwood, or Bruce Lee, or Rambo, or General Schwarzkopf, or Arnold Schwarzenegger do? I'll tell you what they'd do.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

On the other hand, maybe this description doesn't fit you. What if you're not the rugged individualist, conservative busi­ness tycoon described previously? What if you're a naturalist, who has always loved the outdoors, loved the critters, loved the fresh air and the colors in the sunset? What if you're really most com­fortable in construction boots and jeans, shorts and a T-shirt? You're in good physical shape and you can handle a shovel and a wheelbarrow. And you get a real kick out of doing something yourself, like building an incredibly beautiful, natural, organic, holistic water garden. What then?

If that's truly the case, then you need to consider a different line of thought. So we will now offer you...

THE TOP 10 REASONS TO DO IT YOURSELF...  

1. You aren't too terribly concerned with saving money, as long as you're having a good time.
2. When you consult, you only make $50/hour, so it's a wash any way.
3. You're not challenged when it comes to reading directions.
4. You don't care if you get it done in one day or one summer. After all, you're having a good time.
5. Who the heck are the Joneses anyway? They wouldn't know a good time if it hit 'em between the eyes with a two by four!
6. You really can't think of a better way to burn calories.
7. You enjoy physical challenges and you look good in a suntan, too!
8. You love planning, tinkering with, and designing things. So whether you get it right the first time, or the forty-first time is fairly inconsequential.
9. You take great genuine pleasure in cre­ating something of beauty with your own two hands, and having others enjoy it as well.  
10. Your spouse expects you to build a water garden! (You really don't have to confess to this one out loud, or anything like that.)  

Now if this latter description fits you, then go ahead and have at it. You'll do just fine. It may take you a week, maybe two. And you may be fiddling around with it all summer. But you're the one who will enjoy the process immensely. That means that you are, in effect, a pond installer! Welcome to the club.