Wood Chips
From the shores of Lake Superior (The Third Coast)
A key part of life up here in rural Northern Michigan is there are always chores to be done: Snow to be shoveled, firewood stacked, cabins and homes to be repaired after long winters, seeds and garden equipment to be hauled out and prepared for the coming spring.
It’s part of a survival mode, first shaped by Native peoples, then followed by immigrants, loggers, and miners who carved out lifestyles against a fierce landscape over hundreds of years.
The coronavirus now sweeping around the globe is striking panic and fear into many of us. A haunting future balances on the horizon. This is a good, important time to follow Public Health mandates about social distancing, to practice good hygiene, and do our chores.
In the Zen Buddhist tradition, chores are not regarded as tasks to be completed. Instead they are a path of becoming grounded, anchored, humbled, and centered. See them as your spiritual practice today. Clean the kitchen table. Wash your dishes. Breathe. Slowly. Be grateful. Reach out to friends and loved ones with phone calls or internet messages. Say your prayers.
The future is uncertain but there are truths that are emerging. Barry Lopez, my neighbor years ago in Oregon, said it well. “It is the stories and compassion that finally holds our world together.”
Jon
The Cedar Tree Institute
“Wood Chips” is a series of brief reflections written by Jon Magnuson, Director of the Cedar Tree Institute.
