Chopping Wood, Carrying Water, and Ghosting the Great Hustle: Tom Hanks Gets It, Do You?

So, Tom Hanks—yes, that Tom Hanks, Hollywood’s favorite everyman—recently dropped a piece of wisdom he got from his Buddhist friend. He said, and I paraphrase:

“My life was nothing but chopping wood and carrying water. And now that I have been through life and achieved enlightenment, I have come to realize that you need nothing to live but chopping wood and carrying water.”

Boom. Mic drop. And here I am, in my 30s, sitting with this quote like it’s a surprise plot twist in my existential drama series.

Midlife Crisis: The Prequel

They say your 40s are when you finally unclench and start living, but I’m here in my somewhat late 30s, already auditioning for a midlife crisis. Who says aging can’t be fast-tracked, huh? Maybe it’s the invisible weight of life, or maybe I’m just tired of being the giant squirrel in this rat race who struggles to fit in?

The losses I’ve faced this year, the growing realization that ambition tastes like a burnt samosa without the chutney—it’s all adding up. And suddenly, I find myself seeking calmness instead of chaos.

What’s funny is, this shift isn’t some zen epiphany. It’s more like I’ve just run out of steam for the drama. The once-thrilling “Oh no, let’s make life complicated for no reason!” vibes? Unsubscribed.

The Indian Obsession with Being Busy

Here’s a hot take: life in India is basically a reality show where everyone’s a contestant, and the prize is…well, who even knows?

• You’re born, and before you can crawl, someone’s already worried about your CBSE marks.
• You’re in school, and your future engineering career is apparently at stake every time you score less than 90.
• You start working, and suddenly, everyone’s asking why you don’t have a side hustle, two kids, and a gym membership yet.

And let’s not even start on marriage. If you’re single in your 30s, every auntie at a wedding thinks your life is a disaster, but they’re too polite to say it outright. ("So, beta, what are you waiting for?")

The problem isn’t just the hustle—it’s that we’re all convinced the hustle is our only personality. Wake up, rush, work, rush harder, repeat. Nobody ever asks: “Wait, why am I running again?”

YOLO is Killing the Vibe

Somewhere along the way, we took this whole you only live once thing and turned it into a full-blown guilt trip.

• Haven’t traveled to Europe yet? What are you even doing?
• Not starting a podcast? Why aren’t you living your best life?
• Still driving the same car you bought five years ago? Tragic.

And while we’re all busy doing more, achieving more, and accumulating more, we forget the very basic fact: Life is finite.

But instead of accepting that and, I don’t know, enjoying what we have, we stress ourselves into early wrinkles trying to be everywhere and everything all at once. It’s like being stuck in a traffic jam but revving your engine harder, thinking that’ll help.

Chopping Wood and Carrying Water: The Cheat Code

And that’s where Tom Hanks’ Buddhist wisdom hits like a perfectly aimed coconut on the head. What if the ultimate truth is this: Life is simple. We just make it complicated.

Chopping wood and carrying water are metaphors, of course. They remind us that the essence of living isn’t found in grand achievements but in the everyday, mundane acts we often overlook. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need to win every race. What you need is to just be.

How to Stop Being Extra and Start Living

Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter, “Yeah, easy for Tom Hanks to say,” hear me out. This isn’t about ditching your ambitions and moving to a cave. It’s about finding joy in the everyday without turning it into a checklist for Instagram.

Here’s how you can start:

1. Take a Pause: Stop rushing from one thing to the next like the world’s about to end. Spoiler: it isn’t.
2. Prioritize Smartly: Not everything deserves your energy. Saying “no” is a skill. Learn it.
3. Laugh More: Life is absurd. If you don’t see it yet, just watch a politician’s debate for five minutes.
4. Forgive Yourself: For the deadlines missed, the goals unmet, and the days spent feeling like a potato. You’re human.

Why It’s Okay to Just Be

Here’s the truth: Nobody’s keeping score. There’s no cosmic leaderboard tracking how many countries you’ve visited or how many promotions you’ve bagged. What actually matters? That you lived. That you laughed. That you took a moment to soak it all in.

So, if you find yourself stuck in the rat race today, remind yourself: You’re not a rat. Chop the wood. Carry the water. And while you’re at it, enjoy the sunrise, the smell of wet earth, or even the quiet satisfaction of folding laundry (yes, it’s possible).

Because at the end of the day, all the fancy cars, job titles, and curated reels won’t matter. What will? The life you lived between all that chopping and carrying.

Cheers to Simplicity

So here’s the deal: take a breath. Pour yourself a cup of chai. Stop running like someone’s timing you, and start living like you actually want to. It’s not about doing more—it’s about being more present.

And if all else fails, remember: even enlightenment didn’t change the fact that you need to chop wood and carry water. Life doesn’t get easier—it gets clearer.

Cheers to being alive, not just busy. Let’s get back to basics, one log and one bucket at a time.