“Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace.” ~ Steve Goodier
We are living through stormy times. These “soul-storms” sweep through with some regularity as we face daily updates on the spread of the Corona Virus. As new stats about Covid - 19 cases are published along with stats about unemployment and other slowing economic activity, deep and troubling emotions bubble up through our body-mind-soul. Fear, suspicion, and anger are just a few of the toxic brew of inner experiences that ripple through our lives. These storms disrupt our sense of security. They challenge our hope and drive stakes in the heart of the lives we want to live. These “soul-storms” make it very difficult to trust the reliability of the “ground” upon which we stand. We have built our lives far from the river, but the flooding storms have begun to undercut the very ground upon which we live. This week, I want to explore ways to stay grounded when the earth beneath us is in jeopardy.
[Disclaimer] I have Celtic Roots to my spirituality. Observation and experience inform and shape my perspectives and assumptions about life. Your mileage may vary. With this in mind, I offer a bit of wisdom from the land of my youth.
“Staying grounded” means staying rooted in a very real and very messy world. I grew up along the spring fed rivers of Central Texas. I spent many hours exploring the San Marcos, the Blanco, and the Guadalupe. Typically, these rivers were relatively shallow, lazy rivers lined with tall Cypress Trees. In the Hill Country, the banks of these rivers were a mass of Cypress roots that helped the trees ride out the semiannual floods. Most of the trees could ride out the Spring storms because they were well-rooted in the rocks and thin soil of the Texas Hill Country. Even when those 500-year floods would take out some of the trees, many would survive. Being rooted in the ground made it possible for them to withstand the chaotic, rushing waters. Those trees have much to teach us in these days.
If we ignore the teaching of these wise trees, we tend to take one of two paths in dealing with our “soul-storms” in our messy world. Our body-mind-soul has programmed either fight or flight from dangerous storms. We may run away from the riverbank when the clouds start to gather upriver. We seek to escape the storm before the rain begins to fall. Better yet, do not live away from the river completely. The other option is to “fight” by taking control of ourselves and protect ourselves from the storm. We take to the streets. Demand our right to live along that river free of the consequences of floods or wind. Build a “flood-proof” life. We arm our lives with the latest technology to make our experiences “risk-free and safe.” But, the former may rob our daily living of the things of life, while the latter is an impossibility. In these stormy times, we can neither escape nor control the events that create the “soul-storms” that sweep through our lives.
Instead, imagine sinking our roots deep into the rich and rocky earth of reality. This “rootedness” offers us a solid anchor. And, it will provide us with whatever nourishment we need for a healthy, meaningful life. It allows us to stay rooted in the real world where we “live, and move, and have our being.” We can weather the storms rather than taking off on a foolish flight of fancy, engaging in paranoid fear of the unknowns in life, and becoming trapped in close orbit around our desires and wishes. “Groundedness” allows us to withstand the stormiest moments in our lives, even times of pandemic.
Let life be what it is. Allow your life to be messy, complicated, confusing, hurtful, hope-filling, and peppered with moments of love and connection. Our body-mind-soul need all of this stuff to build The Good Life. Resist starving your life by running away from the bad stuff. Sink your life deeper in the real world. It has much to teach you. The storms will blow, and the floods will come. Draw life from the thin soil and strength from the rocks at the river’s edge. Root yourself in life. It was here in the beginning and will outlive us all.
We are living through stormy times. These “soul-storms” sweep through with some regularity as we face daily updates on the spread of the Corona Virus. As new stats about Covid - 19 cases are published along with stats about unemployment and other slowing economic activity, deep and troubling emotions bubble up through our body-mind-soul. Fear, suspicion, and anger are just a few of the toxic brew of inner experiences that ripple through our lives. These storms disrupt our sense of security. They challenge our hope and drive stakes in the heart of the lives we want to live. These “soul-storms” make it very difficult to trust the reliability of the “ground” upon which we stand. We have built our lives far from the river, but the flooding storms have begun to undercut the very ground upon which we live. This week, I want to explore ways to stay grounded when the earth beneath us is in jeopardy.
[Disclaimer] I have Celtic Roots to my spirituality. Observation and experience inform and shape my perspectives and assumptions about life. Your mileage may vary. With this in mind, I offer a bit of wisdom from the land of my youth.
“Staying grounded” means staying rooted in a very real and very messy world. I grew up along the spring fed rivers of Central Texas. I spent many hours exploring the San Marcos, the Blanco, and the Guadalupe. Typically, these rivers were relatively shallow, lazy rivers lined with tall Cypress Trees. In the Hill Country, the banks of these rivers were a mass of Cypress roots that helped the trees ride out the semiannual floods. Most of the trees could ride out the Spring storms because they were well-rooted in the rocks and thin soil of the Texas Hill Country. Even when those 500-year floods would take out some of the trees, many would survive. Being rooted in the ground made it possible for them to withstand the chaotic, rushing waters. Those trees have much to teach us in these days.
If we ignore the teaching of these wise trees, we tend to take one of two paths in dealing with our “soul-storms” in our messy world. Our body-mind-soul has programmed either fight or flight from dangerous storms. We may run away from the riverbank when the clouds start to gather upriver. We seek to escape the storm before the rain begins to fall. Better yet, do not live away from the river completely. The other option is to “fight” by taking control of ourselves and protect ourselves from the storm. We take to the streets. Demand our right to live along that river free of the consequences of floods or wind. Build a “flood-proof” life. We arm our lives with the latest technology to make our experiences “risk-free and safe.” But, the former may rob our daily living of the things of life, while the latter is an impossibility. In these stormy times, we can neither escape nor control the events that create the “soul-storms” that sweep through our lives.
Instead, imagine sinking our roots deep into the rich and rocky earth of reality. This “rootedness” offers us a solid anchor. And, it will provide us with whatever nourishment we need for a healthy, meaningful life. It allows us to stay rooted in the real world where we “live, and move, and have our being.” We can weather the storms rather than taking off on a foolish flight of fancy, engaging in paranoid fear of the unknowns in life, and becoming trapped in close orbit around our desires and wishes. “Groundedness” allows us to withstand the stormiest moments in our lives, even times of pandemic.
Let life be what it is. Allow your life to be messy, complicated, confusing, hurtful, hope-filling, and peppered with moments of love and connection. Our body-mind-soul need all of this stuff to build The Good Life. Resist starving your life by running away from the bad stuff. Sink your life deeper in the real world. It has much to teach you. The storms will blow, and the floods will come. Draw life from the thin soil and strength from the rocks at the river’s edge. Root yourself in life. It was here in the beginning and will outlive us all.
TIPS
Mindfulness – Pay attention!
Stay Open to Life as it evolves in and around you
Take care of yourself. Stay rooted in your life. The winds will blow. The floods may rise. The infections will continue. The deaths will continue. And, recoveries will be far more prevalent. Through it all, we will know that peace is possible for those with deep roots.
Peace, my friends!
Bob Dees
- Keep your body-mind-soul alert to the world around you.
- Stay informed.
- Listen to the medical people who have your best interests at heart.
- Learn what you can about the virus so that you can make informed decisions.
- Discern the currents of thought as well as the currents of emotion flowing in and around you.
- Listen to your body. If symptoms begin to appear, make the phone call, and get tested.
- Be aware that there are those around you who may be more vulnerable and wear the mask even though it is uncomfortable and feels odd.
- Be mindful of yourself, those around you, and the world around you.
Stay Open to Life as it evolves in and around you
- Allow yourself to grieve the losses that you are experiencing.
- Celebrate small victories that will occur from time to time. (Like getting almost everything on your grocery list.)
- Let gratitude germinate, even in the thin, rocky soils of the pandemic.
- Give your emotions a fair hearing, but do not allow them to be the only voices you hear.
- Include both “no” and “yes” in your responses based on your best judgment.
- Maintain realistic expectations and allow room for pleasant surprises.
- Give yourself a break. Do the best you can. Learn from your mistakes, and then let them go.
- Leave the big questions open but explore and journal your musings. It will help you make sense of all this when it is over.
- Stay Connected to the world around you. While maintaining social distance, stay connected with those people that help you see and stay balanced in life. Stay connected to the things that make your life worth getting up each day. To quote a bit of over-hyped wisdom, Live – Laugh – Love.
Take care of yourself. Stay rooted in your life. The winds will blow. The floods may rise. The infections will continue. The deaths will continue. And, recoveries will be far more prevalent. Through it all, we will know that peace is possible for those with deep roots.
Peace, my friends!
Bob Dees
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