In our neck of the woods chopping wood is a necessity not a metaphor. So is carrying water. Mostly, we do it begrudgingly or without thought, like all the other everyday things that need to be done. There is no joy or beauty in it.
A few weeks ago we chopped wood for a friend who just found out that she needs a liver transplant. Not a minor diagnosis, but life threatening.
Chopping wood became a gift. For all of us present it was a way to take a centering breath of gratitude for our ability to complete a mundane task. A gift of joy.
Today we visited a neighbour’s open house. They own a sheep ranch and the ewes were being shorn and the baby lambs were frolicking everywhere. A perfect opening to spring, it occurs every year. Lambs are born, sheep need to be shorn. the work goes on. It was a wonderful day to be in touch with what matters. To again be centered in the reality of one breath at a time and know that: “Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself”
With so much on our minds these days let us remember that the ordinary can be extraordinary.
“Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run. The daily work – that goes on, it adds up.” ~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams
Amazed With Mystery 