#88: You’re grounded!
If there was nothing positive about grounding an aircraft or a teenager, why would I aim for groundedness?
Groundedness feels like a strange word to me. And yet, it apparently is an English word.
It describes the quality of being grounded.
«Get on the ground!»
That’s no good if someone screams at you and wants you to lie down on the ground. It’s either a police offer chasing you down or someone playing a really bad joke on you.
«You’re grounded!»
We have all been there. In most cases it was just a big misunderstanding, but how do you explain that to your Mum at 3am?
«Grounding of Swissair»
That was a shock to everyone, especially the Swiss. They mourned over their airline for a long time. Swissair was no more.
«They held their ground!»
That is a good sign. They were brave and didn’t let those guys intimidate them.
As you can tell, we are slowly moving towards the positive meanings of «grounded». I very much like the following definition:
«Being “grounded” means that you’re present in your body and connected with the earth. When you’re grounded, you allow yourself to feel centered and balanced no matter what’s going on around you.»
It feels like I have been in the process of grounding for some time. I am not there yet. It is almost like there are gusts of wind taking me «off the ground» every now and then again. That is when I feel insecure, exposed and lost somehow. But those moments go by, as if I was taking off just for brief moments.
What comes to mind is the picture of a gas balloon. When it got closer to earth, it would drop the sand bags. Cutting the ballasts would have been the answer.
I know it is the other way round for me. Dropping my own «ballast» helps me get grounded. The less baggage I carry with me, the more centered and balanced I feel.
That might be an explanation for my fondness for barefoot walking and hiking.
It connects me to the ground.
Grounded I wanna be.
