Keep Choppin

Have you read the novel, Shane, by Jack Shafer?

Have you by chance read the novel, Shane, by Jack Shafer? The story is set in the late 1800’s in the Wyoming territory, and told through the eyes of a young boy named Bob Starrett. It’s the classic Western Story, a big government-backed cattleman is trying to run off all the homesteaders. In the story a mysterious cowboy named Shane, shows up out of nowhere — with no gun on his hip and no reason to help them, but he does anyway. Most of the book is centered around this struggle, and the mystery behind the past of the man who doesn’t even need to wear a gun, for others to somehow know that he’s a dangerous man. But there was another, underlying theme that caught my attention…

One of the things that I’m most amazed at when I think about the settlers of this country isn’t the dangers they faced, or the opposition from the big guys — it’s the sheer will and determination they showed in working their land. They were dreamers yes, but even more than that — they were willing to do whatever it took to realize those dreams.

In the book Shane, the Starrett family had been settled for a few years. And Mr Starrett had almost all of his land cleared — almost all of it. But there was one gigantic old Oak stump, that refused to be displaced. And it sat right dab in the middle of the Starrett’s property. Mr Starrett had been working on the old stump since they’d first settled almost a decade before, and seemingly had made zero progress. He’d all but given up when Shane arrived, and there were more pressing jobs to be done — so there was little use in trying to get the stump removed.

But after events take place that threaten to fracture the relationship of the two men. Shane shows his solidarity, by joining Bob’s father in his battle against the seemingly indestructible tree stump. Together, the two men take their axes to it with a determination that refuses to be denied. That chapter ends in the words, An old stump on its side with root ends making a strange pattern against the glow of the sun sinking behind the far mountains and two men looking over it into each other’s eyes.

They kept choppin, until they were able to uproot the stump — little by little, the men persevered until they won.

When I read that story for the first time, it reminded me of a phrase that Coach Smart uses as one of the Georgia Football Team’s mantras, Keep Choppin’.

Keep Choppin means, Smart said, “Play the next play. Play every play in the game like it has a history and life of its own. If you do that, then good things will come out of it. Don’t dwell on the past and don’t look ahead. Just chop on, each moment.” (Via OnlineAthens)

Why am I talking about chopping wood? Well, it damn sure isn’t because it’s getting colder outside. It’s because we’re all dealing with something — all the time. And it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by it all — to look at that huge stump that life has dropped right in the middle of our plans, and freak out. Then tell ourselves that the obstacle is too big to overcome…

This is when we must, Keep Choppin.

Coach Smart gives us another important message in that quote — it’s something he preaches constantly to his players. That if we want to succeed at whatever it is we’re up against, or want to accomplish — we must be precise in our actions, and focus our efforts only on the things we can control.

If you’ve never had to cut a cord, you’d probably assume that it’s the power behind swing of the axe that does it. It might look like shear strength is what gets it done, but it takes a great focus to strike in the right spot each time. We must attack our own obstacles in the same manner. Instead of looking at the gargantuan task that lies in our way — we should pick a small spot to place our first blow. Then the second, and third, and on and on — and we Keep Choppin, until the great task is nothing but a pile of wood chips.

“Well-being is realized by small steps — but is truly no small thing.” -Zeno

I’ve been so absorbed in my own “problems” lately, that I failed to see that many of my friends here are currently dealing with some tough times. If you’re one of them, I wrote this for you. And remember, Mr. Starrett, it’s okay to accept help from others sometimes too. 🤝

🙏Small steps – Keep Choppin – Don’t Let It Whip Ya💪

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