I got some landscaping done this month and as a reward the YouTube algorithm brought me a new genre of video called “Tall Grass”. These are the lawns with shoulder high grass, filled with mice and snakes, endlessly consuming buildings, fences, and concrete. It’s complete and utter ASMR for me.

My favorite among them is Al Bladez. Al and his best friend AP take one day a week and offer to mow someone-in-need’s yard for free. To be clear, there’s an economy here, the homeowner gets their yard mowed and Al gets a YouTube video out of the deal which garners a million views. But the homeowners — and more often than not, the neighbors — are incredibly thankful to see the transformations.

The circumstances differ from yard to yard. Sometimes the homeowner is elderly, ailing, deceased, or in the hospital; unable or unfit to mow their lawn. In those situations Al’s work is a simple act of charity.

Sometimes, the homeowner is perfectly able but hasn’t mowed their lawn. What I love about Al is that he doesn’t show an ounce of judgement. Al doesn’t care if you’ve been in jail, or if you’re too poor, your mower broke, you’re unemployed, you’re struggling with addiction, or you’re just plain lazy. He’s there to cut grass — tall grass — and bring a bit of pride back to his community and hopefully help people dodge citations from the city.

To top it off, Al’s personal slogan is “Impact Over Views” and whew, that’s a lot to think about. I love that outlook and wish I could embody it more.

Whatever religion Al is peddling, I want to be a part of it.