Chop Wood, Carry Water…And Stack Apples

I apologize for the lack of postings the last couple of weeks.  While both TDA and I have both been busy, a new challenge at work has had me doubly so.  I am moving out of a managerial role in our office to that of produce manager for the store.  So, as I am transitioned out of our office and trained on all things fruit and vegetable, I have been pulling more hours than ever before.  But I think the payoff is going to be worth the extra effort.  My hours will stabilize and I will generally never have to work nights again…in fact I can come and go as I please as long as the job gets done.  Another bonus will be that the department is small (just two others), no more depending on a multitude of people to accomplish the task at hand.  I will get to control every aspect of this venture from what we offer, to who my suppliers are, and how much we will charge.  The success (profit) or failure (loss) of the department will rest squarely on my shoulders.  And last but not least, it will give me more time to write here and other places that think I can.

“Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water.
After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.”
–Wu Li

This opportunity might seem to some as a demotion of sorts to someone on the outside looking in; moving out of the “office” which literally overlooks the rest of the store, not being the “manager on duty” and everything that goes with it…to being “that guy in the apron stack’in apples”; but to me it is a wonderful opportunity that I have put more effort into than any previous endeavour I’ve had here.  Like writing, it will allow me to be creative and say… I did that.

The point of all this is not to bore you with the details of my situation and why the posts have slowed down or been less than creative or personal – but to highlight one of the core parts of my program for staying sober…and my brother TDA himself stressed this to me from the very beginning, that for this to work I had to stay busy.  The old saying “Idle hands are the devils playground”, is extremely true for me and I suspect for anyone trying to right themselves after capsizing into addiction.  So I can’t stress how important it is to stay busy.  Just do it.  Overload yourself and don’t worry about doing something wrong or what at first seems daunting.  Just do something and slowly but surely you will find peace and everything will gradually begin to seem easy, including staying sober/clean; but then when it starts to seem easy or mundane…start chopping on some more wood.