Chop Wood, Carry Water

Chop wood, carry water.

This Zen phrase has been my life lately. The showing up, the doing what needs done – both to keep things going, and in preparation for what is to come.

It can be easy to overlook the significance of such things in our often fast-paced world where our eyes are drawn to the shiny, the new, the bright and the loud. Chopping wood and carrying water (or similar activities) seem mundane next to all that. But those seemingly small and often repetitive acts are actually a vital component of a well-lived life.

Focusing on the thing in front of us isn’t always glamorous, but it can also be sexy as hell with both the process, and the results holding incredible beauty. I’m reminded of a hike I took in Colorado Bend State Park with my family. The path itself was an adventure, wending its way through juniper, oak and cactus into in a steep section of limestone and travertine before finally opening up to the falls (pictured here). Every part of the journey required attention, and if we hadn’t been present with what we were doing, our experience would have been lackluster (and probably involved some bruises and contusions). It’s the same elsewhere too.

Whatever our current versions of chopping wood or carrying water look like, here’s to being fully present with whatever we are doing, and to finding joy in the journey, meaning in the mundane, and pleasure in the practical along the way.