just take the time to find it. I call it being "grounded." This
being grounded feeling has probably been there all along, waiting
for me to recognize it. Unfortunately, I think I just never slowed
down enough to be able to see it, or feel it.
I'm proud of the way I behave, speak and think when I'm grounded.
I'm at peace with the world, but more importantly I'm at peace with
myself. I'm not wasting my thoughts thinking about whether I'm too
fat, successful enough, or smart enough. I accept me. I just am.
Things seem to move slower when I'm grounded. Sometimes I worry I
won't accomplish as much. But actually, I accomplish just as much,
sometimes more, and the things that I'm doing are more moving and
meaningful to me. When I'm grounded I'm rational. There really isn't
right or wrong. Things just are. I feel whatever situation is
presented to me, that I'll move through it with a peace that passes
all understanding. Feeling grounded allows me to be loving towards
people, even people who don't love me. I can be nonjudgmental, I
feel wise and I am able to recognize some good in everyone.
Some people seem to live their life grounded every day. How do they
do it? I wish I knew. They always look so happy and at peace with
everything. When you sit and talk with them, they transfer that
calmness to you. Their words are wise, graceful and sedative, and
when you leave you want to take those powerful feelings with you.
You want to stay with the feeling.
In order for me to be grounded, I need to spend time on me every
day. Paying attention to what I think, what I feel, what I really
want from life and what I have to give to others. Let me tell you a
few of my techniques I use for staying grounded. I start every day
reading something inspirational, or I write. Some mornings it just
takes a paragraph or two. Other mornings it's a real struggle to get
all the bad stuff out of my mind, and I have to read a couple of
chapters, or write for a very long time. But I keep going until I
recognize "grounded". Or I might count my blessings. And if I can't
seem to appreciate the ones I'm in the midst of, I remind myself of
the problems I thought I had last week, or last month, and how they
worked out just fine, and then I remind myself about how much time I
wasted fretting about them. Music, watching the birds eat at the
bird feeder, blowing bubbles, and writing a column to share
