I spent much of last week stacking wood for our stove that was recently installed in the dining room. We had 6 face cords delivered/dumped in our yard. That is about enough wood to fill a box that is eight feet wide and long and four feet tall. I expected to dread the exhausting work of stacking the wood in the basement but I was pleasantly surprised. The work was exhausting but it was spiritually rewarding. For the better part of two days I had to set everything else aside and stock up for winter. I had to experience the change of season. For the last several years the change from fall to winter has meant little more than an extra layer of clothing and no overnight parking on the street. I grew up in San Diego where it is hard to tell summer and winter apart let alone the other monotonous seasons. Stacking wood forced me to recognize that the warmth and abundance of summer was over and several long and cold months were to come. This wasn’t a recognition that brought sadness to my spirit. Instead, I felt a sense of gratitude. Gratitude; for a glorious summer in the neighborhood I call home; for the blessings of the past year; for the warmth that will fill my home this winter; for the hope and promise of next season; for the strength and health of my body and fruits of labor.Those of us raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition were taught that from the very beginning, the fall of humanity, we were confined to existing by physical labor and the sweat of our brow. From that very moment we have been scheming to avoid physical labor. We have become especially skillful at avoiding labor over the last century. The industrial revolution has allowed us to transfer the sweat of our brow to the tools and machines of our creation. I can’t help but think that humanity never gave up its quest to be God that led to our removal from the Garden of Eden. Only God exists without labor. Everything we need to sustain life comes from hard work. This is the very same thing that gives humans meaning, importance and fulfillment in life. The importance of meaningful labor can’t be underestimated. One of the most important aspects of sustained addiction recovery is meaningful labor. We have to invest ourselves in something that makes a difference.
Stacking wood was exhausting and it wasn’t very glamorous. The most recognition I am going to get for stacking wood is gratitude from my wife for the prospect of a warm home this winter. The cool thing is that my spirit was lifted by stacking wood. The smell of a crisp fall day.
The exercise that makes my body feel strong and healthy. The time to slow down and reflect on a wonderful year past and a hopeful year to come and the comfort that my family has shelter from the cold this winter.
