# Brooms and Breath

By [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2) · 2025-08-01

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There’s a Zen saying that says something like:

> Before enlightenment, chop wood, sweep the floor.
> 
> After enlightenment, chop wood, sweep the floor.

The moment when you realize that the supposedly mundane affords an opportunity for transformation, for reflection, for appreciation, for holiness…that’s the moment to take a deep, deep breath.

To feel the expansion of the lungs in all directions. To feel the relaxation of the shoulders. To feel the rise and fall of the chest.

Then, to resume the task at hand.

I’m no expert at \*satori-\*enlightenment-and I am certainly not “enlightened” (though I’m a wanna-be), but I wonder if that Zen saying is potentially a reminder that the moment of transformation isn’t a “Big Bang,” rather hundreds, thousands, and millions of little, iterative mini-bangs that, cumulatively lead you down an entirely path.

> “The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a small heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.”
> 
> \-Lao Tzu

One step at a time. One rock at a time. One block at a time. One breath at a time.

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*Originally published on [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2/brooms-and-breath)*