I suppose the earliest memory I have of engaging in ‘mindless shit’ is when I was a senior in high school. Someone noticed that I had nice handwriting and asked me to make the seating place name tags for the Senior Prom. Well, okay…
There were 256 or so of us in our Senior Class, and I spent hours handwriting writing names in Old English. Name after name, mindless shit… but it helped while the time away.
Over the years I would often find myself taking on, or volunteering to perform ‘mindless shit,’ either for myself or others, it didn’t matter – it doesn’t matter.
Just before I got sober I would cut trees on my property. Hour after hour I would take down silver maples and other ‘trash trees’ and cut the logs into 18″ pieces for the fireplace. Just my chain saw, my music and my self. Mindless shit. Nobody tends to bother you when you are cutting logs…
In sobriety I once again find myself engaged in ‘mindless shit.’ For example, today I am building bee hive frames. I have 50 of them to build, It is not ‘intellectually stimulating, by any means, just repetitive, mindless shit. But it does tend to stave off the sadness… that damned ever-present sadness decided to visit me again this morning.
‘Mindless shit’ seems to be the way I deal with it. I know it will pass; in time; maybe, we’ll see…
So, for now, I’ll just shut up and row…