There’s a buddhist saying of “before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water” and “after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water”.
There’s also a title of a book “Don’t sweat the small stuff (and it’s all small stuff”.
When I think about these two phrases paired together, living a tranquil, fulfilling life, becomes a little more fathomable. For example, humans are quite often succumbing to the voice inside their head, the incessant noise, and the multitude of thoughts that distract, bring fear, and increase anxiety.
There is no difference between the world before you’re enlightened and afterwards. It’s the same practice of coming back to our center, pulling our vertical beam, and flowing through this life each day with the understanding that in the grand scheme of things, we’re chopping wood and carrying water. When we’re aligning with our core essence, and being able to “real”-ize that person inside, we’re able to stop sweating the small stuff. We can return to that point of alignment and move forward. The days can become more grounded, and the movement more present.
I’m living here in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico and it’s been a tad more illuminating when I think about how living happens. There’s freedom in the energy here. There’s friendliness, and a constant influx and outflux of people. There’s also home. Perspective. and just a little bit of Desire.