The Gift of Staying Grounded

This past month my husband received some scary medical news. While we're dealing with it and feeling very optimistic, I've had a strong desire to stay grounded. I know how important it is to not let my mind go wild with not-so-good thoughts. Staying grounded in the positive and being both hopeful and optimistic has been a great support.

I know the state of the world can feel uneasy and rattling to our souls. I wanted to offer this David Whyte excerpt from his book, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. May this offer you the promise of a strong foundation during these often uncertain times.

Ground

is what lies beneath our feet. It is the place where we already stand; a state of recognition, the place or the circumstances to which we belong whether we wish to or not. It is what holds and supports us, but also what we do not want to be true; it is what challenges us, physically or psychologically, irrespective of our hoped for needs. It is the living, underlying foundation that tells us what we are, where we are, what season we are in and what, no matter what we wish in the abstract, is about to happen in our body, in the world or in the conversation between the two.

To come to ground is to find a home in circumstances and in the very physical body we inhabit in the midst of those circumstances and above all to face the truth, no matter how difficult that truth may be; to come to ground is to begin the courageous conversation, to step into difficulty and by taking that first step, begin the movement through all difficulties, to find the support and foundation that has been beneath our feet all along: a place to step onto, a place on which to stand and a place from which to step.