Bonus Blog - written in ten minutes during my lunch break.
Earlier today, I got the image in my head of a person standing in the middle of a wind storm, casually dodging debris. They were actually rooted in the earth up to their chest. The wind didn't move them and - because their arms were free from the soil - they were able to hold on to things passing by around them. They were grounded.
All around them, smaller people flew through chaotic air and the grounded giant would hold onto them to keep them from being hurt.
My daydream continued.
How nice to be so grounded.
The giant would help the people find their footing and send them on their way.
Next, I imagined the giant being above ground - his own two feet on the very earth he had just placed the tiny people on. The gusts were picking up only this time he couldn't handle it. Even though he was a giant, the wind was too strong and he felt himself getting pushed around and dragged all over the place. He couldn't pluck the little people from the sky because he had no sense of balance either.
Maybe there's some security in being grounded - I thought - imagining the cool touch of soil keeping me safe from the elements as just my hands moved freely through the air.
But then it hit me - trees with roots can't move.
The giant person in scenario one is literally grounded. They are stuck in this imaginary world that they can't leave and - while they may be safe and sound - they are trapped.
Then I thought of the second scenario. The giant is being tossed around with no certainty in his life and nothing to hold on to. But the giant is free.
Sometimes I think we get so caught up in our ways or our mindsets or our opinions. We stick to the way things have always been done or the ways we want things to be handled. We burrow ourselves further into the earth forgetting there is an entire world out there for us to see.
I don't want to settle myself into a life of mediocrity simply because that is what is safe. I don't want to plant my roots too deep just yet. I have too much exploring to do.
So sure, let me be the giant who gets tossed around by the winds of life. I'll handle that freedom much better than falling into a pit of what is safe and expected.
Stand tall. Let the storm shake you. Then take one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
Love always,
Liz