The mere acts of chopping wood & carrying water suggest work. Hard work. If you have ever actually chopped wood, as I have, for any amount of time you already know that it is a labor intensive act. Chopping wood involves concentration (if you don't want to chop off a foot, toe, or hand), physical strength, and time. It is by no means a quick and easy process. It requires preparation and a sharp ax or splitting maul. I think of "chopping wood" in terms of what it might have meant 100 or more years ago, before the advent of modern furnaces. If one wanted to heat their home or cook, chopping wood was something that had to be done daily. Wood was the fuel used to keep the fire going - the fire that sustained life.
Carrying water was also necessary. Today "carrying water" is a task that the vast majority of people would never dream of doing, at least in modern western society. In some places in the world, carrying water is still something that must be done every day. Just as wood provides heat, water is something that people cannot do without. It is a must have. I have the modern convenience of running water in my home. It is even "hot" when I want it to be hot, and "cold" when I want it to be cold. All I must do is turn the handle of the faucet and instantly - almost magically - water appears. I have water to cook, drink, bathe, and so on. I even sometimes use water to wash my vehicles and to keep my lawn from turning brown. I have to admit that I take it for grated most days.
To me chopping wood and carrying water implies work. Hard work. Work that must be done daily. Chopping wood and carrying water applies to my recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Chopping Wood and carrying water applies to setting and achieving goals. It applies to my relationships. It applies to the work I do every day with addicts, alcoholics, and those with mental health concerns. It applies to taking care of myself...exercise, eating right, and getting enough sleep. It applies to my relationship with God. It applies to everything.
When I got clean from drugs and alcohol many years ago, I thought "recovery" would be easy. I figured that kicking dope and booze was all I really needed to do...once I was sober, I figured that everything else would just fall into place. I could not have been more wrong. Once my body had adjusted to living without substances, the real work of recovery began. The real work of changing the things that I could and surrendering to God the things I could not change. Sounds easy, right? Hardly. Recovery (and life in general) can be hard. It is supposed to be. Not hard in the sense that "oh...my life is so hard! Why can't life just be easy! Why do I always have to struggle?" Life is hard, and I LIKE IT THAT WAY! Life is hard but life is AWESOME, and this is why...
I used to think that everyone else in the world had it good. I would look at others smiling, laughing, and living their lives free of restraints. I didn't think that this would ever be possible for me, a guy who had always done wrong. A guy who had been in all kinds of trouble. A guy that had faced the demons of addiction, crime, and self-doubt. I discovered the true meaning of CHOP WOOD, CARRY WATER early in my recovery. I found that the harder I worked and the more I prayed, the better my life got. I chopped wood and carried water every single day. I did the things that had to be done in order to create the kind of life I had always wanted. Instead of lying around waiting for things to happen, I took action. I got up, got dressed, and gave every day my best effort. Chop wood, carry water. I dug a grave for all the bullshit excuses I had been making all my life and buried those excuses for good. No longer did I subscribe to the beliefs that had been dominating my life: You can't. It will be too hard. You're just not cut out for _________(fill in the blank with your own excuse.) I took action. With faith in God and AA, I began the process of changing the things I could. This was work, and it still is today. If I want to keep the life I've got, I need to work to maintain it. I have to keep my fire stoked and my bucket full. For me, this requires prayer, 12-step meetings, daily exercise, setting goals, and helping others. This also requires me doing what must be done -every single day - the things I don't want to do. I have to pay my bills, wash the dishes, shovel snow, do laundry, pick up dog shit (literally), take out the trash, and so on. A good life requires some measure of discilipine an hard work. A good life requires requires that I do my chores, tell the truth, and work my ass off. A good life requires that I chop wood and carry water when I'm tired, when it's freezing cold, when I'm sick, or when I would rather be watching football. If you take the four simple yet VERY powerful words: CHOP WOOD, CARRY WATER and apply them to any area of your life, you will be amazed at how your circumstances will begin to change. This is what I practice in my daily life. If I can do it, so can you. Keep your axes sharp. Keep chopping wood & carrying water.
If you would like to read some more about daily routines that can help you break out of the chains (excuses, rationalizations, and justifications) that have been holding you prisoner, click on the link below to read an excerpt from my book titled (yup, you guessed it!) CHOPPING WOOD & CARRYING WATER. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my website www.freedomthroughchange.com
http://freedomthroughchange.com/
https://twitter.com/Choppingwood76
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Wolanin-Chopping-Wood-Carrying-Water/486490918114288
Thank you for reading! Get chopping.
Paul
https://twitter.com/Choppingwood76
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Wolanin-Chopping-Wood-Carrying-Water/486490918114288
Thank you for reading! Get chopping.
Paul
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