The Agno River, Valdagno, in the province of Vicenza, Italy

Chop Wood, Carry Water

Sounds simple, but, damn, it’s been hard to do lately

I really like this metaphor, which comes from the Zen proverb, “Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.” (H/T to Leo Babauta and Zen Habits) Although I’m not Buddhist, this concept of being fully present in the action at hand resonates well with me, but it’s been especially hard to put into practice this year — for the obvious reasons.

Samu (Zen): physical work that is done with mindfulness as a simple, practical and spiritual practice. (source: Wikipedia)

Not that mindfulness came easy before “Billy Bush Tuesday” — is that what we’re calling dates on which Trump does something scandalous now? — but since that Tuesday in November, it’s become nigh impossible for me. Back in the idyllic Before Times, I could just about juggle work, family, hobbies and my other plans and projects without feeling overly stressed out about it all. But now? How can I focus even on just my own little world when the broader world around me is teetering on the brink of, well, who knows what?! Now I’ve got to worry about government and politics on a daily basis, too?

I’m not religious, although I used to be. I also don’t especially identify as spiritual anymore, although I used to. And I used to geek out on Integral Theory (see Ken Wilber et al.), but don’t anymore. So as I wonder how I’m going to get back to somewhere a whole lot closer to my happy place than I am now, I think I need to just get back to basics.

Which brings me back to “chop wood, carry water”. Just doing. It pretty much says it all. Keep it simple. Start with the bare essentials, and do one thing at a time. Then when I’ve got the basics — the wood and the water — I can move on to the next thing, and the next, and the next after that.

And stay away from distractions so I don’t chop off a foot or spill all my water. Trump being Trump again today? Instead of falling down the rabbit hole of news, analysis and tweetstorms like I do every time, just chop wood: call my representatives. Carry water: find a way to support a local politician.

Gotta keep vices and diversions under control, too. A bit like Lisa Renee in her “To Drink or Not to Drink”, post-Trump I’ve developed a mild obsession with craft beer. It’s become an escape of sorts. And it’s fine, but it’s not productive at all, and it’s obviously not the sort of thing you can do as a daily mindfulness practice. The alcohol kinda shoots the whole mindfulness part right out the window. Keeping these sorts of things under control isn’t easy, of course, but maybe if I chop more wood and carry more water during the day, I’ll feel less of a need for the diversion at the end of it.

Essentially, I need to be as present as I can in everything I do. Make living a ritual. So there’s the meditative, mindful aspect of it. And like in meditation, when a thought — a distraction — arises, let it move on past and deal with it later when the time is right. Then come back to it and chop that wood or carry that water. Do something about it, but do just one thing at a time, and do it mindfully.

About the author

A professional wordsmith (translator, writer, editor) for over a decade and a futurist at heart, Grey’s creative writing — both fiction and non-fiction — explores technology, language, and human evolution with an optimism that is all too uncommon. Born and raised in the Pacific northwest, he spent 24 years living in northern Italy before returning to the States. After a year in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, he is now enjoying life back in northern California. He is an Italian translator and also a contributing editor for fiction and creative non-fiction at daCunha — a platform of creative insight and inspiration for life and work. He is currently working on his first full-length, science-fiction novel based on his short stories set in the “Autonomy” universe.