WORK

The woodcutter

Works in all seasons.

Splitting wood is both

Action and inaction.

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Even when it is snowy, the woodcutter must split wood. Unless he

does, he and his family will not stay warm, and those who depend upon

him will not survive. But the woodcutter does not work simply on a

piecemeal basis. He labors in concert with the seasons : He worked hard

to store wood prior to the first cold so that he would have the luxury

of merely splitting kindling now. His work seems slight in one season,

because he was industrious in the previous one.

When he splits wood, he must place the log on the block and raise

his axe. But he must strike the wood with the grain, and he must let the

axe fall with its own weight. If he tries to chop across the grain, his

effort would be wasted. If he tries to add strength to the swing of the

axe, there would be no gain.

Like the woodcutter, we can all benefit from working according to

seasonal cirgreat timesstances. Whether it is the time or the method, true labor

is half initiative and half knowing how to let things proceed on their

own.