Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Path Through Layers of Self-Awareness

Skrylle Nature Reserve, Sweden

Have you heard the Zen saying “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

The proverb reminds us that true wisdom doesn’t remove us from daily life, it transform how we experience it.

Lately, my days have a simple rhythm.
Morning routines with my nephews. Laundry. Dinners. I joined a gym.
It’s not glamorous, but it’s grounding.

There’s something strangely peaceful about the repetition, about showing up to small, necessary tasks that don’t ask for brilliance, only presence.

And yet, my mind still argues, You’re not doing enough.
Not enough for your business. Not enough for your future. Not enough, period.

But beneath that voice, something quieter is growing: awareness.
The kind that doesn’t come from meditating on a mountain or leading a retreat, but from being here, right in the middle of real life.

As you may know, my nephews lost their mother (two months ago today) unexpectedly and traumatic. I’m here supporting, helping, holding.

What I’m learning is that self-awareness isn’t just about insight or breakthroughs.
It’s also about the practice of being with what is. Self-awareness have layers: somatic, emotional, cognitive, relational, shadow and spiritual layers of everyday existence. For example:

• Somatic awareness: Feeling the tiredness in my body and choosing rest instead of pushing.

• Emotional awareness: Letting sadness and gratitude coexist.

• Cognitive awareness: Noticing the stories my mind tells (about worth, productivity, and success) without automatically believing them.

• Relational awareness: Being present for my brother and his boys without losing myself.

• Shadow awareness: Seeing the parts of me that want to control or withdraw, and meeting them with compassion instead of judgment.

• Transpersonal awareness: Trusting there’s a larger rhythm at play, even when I can’t see it.

Maybe this, too, is the work…Chopping wood, carrying water, tending to what’s in front of me.
Maybe “doing enough” right now simply means being enough.

Invitation:
This week, notice the small, ordinary acts that connect you to presence.
What if your awareness practice wasn’t something you scheduled, but something you lived : folding laundry, making a meal, listening deeply?

As I go deeper in my own self-awareness practice, I’ll share my discoveries with you. Look for an upcoming course that I think you’ll love!

Stay In Awareness,

-Adela