“I’m very much a proponent of chop wood, carry water. Just do,” says Paula Sheil, an educator, writer, poet and the founder and president of Tuleburg Press. “My sock drawer is incredibly organized.”

It’s an old Zen proverb. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. When it feels like things are tough, we can still wash the dishes. Weed the garden. Clean out our sock drawer.

Paula Sheil is a dynamo. As an elementary school teacher she filled her classroom with student created cardboard missions so that they could experience exploring California’s Camino Real. As a college educator she teaches her poetry students to shift their perspective from their own internal strife to the external world they live in. To begin to notice, to connect with the universal in life’s experience. It is there that true connection happens. As the founder of Tuleburg Press, she works to bring the voices of Stockton area writers into the world.

She’s a learn by doing kind of person, so it’s no surprise that when she was gifted an old fashioned printing press, she used it as an opportunity to create The Write Place, a non profit center where students of all ages can learn the book arts.

As you listen to this episode, consider:

• What does Paula mean when she says “chop wood, carry water”?

• When you feel stuck, discouraged or frustrated, what is one simple action you can take?

• How can you turn your attention outwards? Can you approach life with an observers curiousity?

You can learn more about Paula, Tuleburg Press and The Write Place here.

You can listen to Paula’s episode here.