Touching Down

Returning home after our 24 hours in Chicago

There are those moments that sweep us up from where we stand and carry us beyond where our normal motion might ever dare take us. Events when our feet leave the ground, our head in the clouds, with a lightness of feathers drifting with the wind of possibilities. In this state of being we allow ourselves to be led, up and down by the lofty elevation of circumstances we don’t have the time nor the desire to process.

I’m a pretty grounded person; feet firmly planted, taking great comfort in my well-established roots of routine and predictability. And still, I will move and sway, arms reached up like branches welcoming the movement of what the climate might bring. Although I much prefer a zephyr to a gale, one can’t control the weather. Nor predict it.

The last few days a nor’easter of chance has howled through my life leaving me feeling, among other things, displaced and disheveled. A swift force of nature uprooted me and yet the thrill of shifting, spinning and spiraling in such unstable conditions felt as invigorating as they did overwhelming. And so I let go.

As quickly as they came, the winds are dying down and I feel my feet once again touching the ground. I sense the sturdy, solid weight of my body settling in again, using the earth below me as my stability and my strength. I remind myself that below me is hallowed ground and I sink my roots back into the soft, earth. It welcomes me home again. I am altered, there is no doubt. But what remains is who I am and no winds of change can ever take that away.

How do you deal with sudden climate changes of your life? Are you open to being tossed about in the currents (good, bad or otherwise) or would you rather batten down the hatches and keep yourself firmly planted? If there is by chance a photograph that illustrates a symbol of your stance (or flight), I hope you choose to share it today.

Comments

[kosenrufu mama]

hi, i understand what you mean, i use every moment as an opportunity to grow and be a better person and learn somethig new, i try to find and create value in every circustance and of course my life helps me, supports me.
here what is my strength in my life
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2008/10/quello-che-amo-tutti-i-giorni.html

[Marcie]

What a wonderful meditation on life's storms. This image reminds me of how chaotic we can all feel inside:

http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=591

[laura-dolcepics]

Knowing that there is always hope grounds me:

http://www.dolcepics.com/dailypic/renewed-life/

[Busymomma66]

I guess I surf through it and get it done (sometimes crashing and tumbling, sometimes making it to shore) and actually deal with all the emotions and thought processes after it. On both sides usually dishelved, displaced, and with sand in my bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/busymomma66/3045796884/

[Jen - Beebee Mod]

GASP!!! WHAT!!! Holy cow tracey. I am so excited for you.

[Emiko]

I feel that life is a cycle of events, emotions....and we need to roll with the punches to an extent. It is easier to do when we are secure in who we are, then we can tolerated and sometimes grow from such winds of change. This is my image which sums it up for me.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13746971

[Jean M Fogle]

It is amazing how things can come along and lead you down a path you never expected! 11 years ago my husband gave me a JRT puppy when our oldest son left for college. She has lead me down a path I would have never traveled and without her I would never have gotten a book published! I do wish she had been able to get me on Oprah!!
If you are open to change, it might just come along!
http://pixels-n-pen.blogspot.com

[shelli]

I just followed your links to your other blog so that I could see what the excitement is about -- wow wow wow! Congratulations. I can't wait to hear more.

Anyway, my life has been pretty grounded in routine lately, so I'm not sure how I'd feel if things were stirred up. But I am grateful for this life. I am grateful for being grounded in a good place:


http://web.me.com/pabis/Mama_of_Letters/Camera_Happy/Pages/Nikon_D60.html#47

[ELK]

oh so many things come to mind, my faith, SAM the dog, family, nature,
but being able to lose myself in this during windy times is real.
<a href="http://www.redorgray.com/2008/10/strings-and-wood-in-sun.html"> STRINGS in SUN</a>

[ELK]

...lets try again it's early ; )))

http://www.redorgray.com/2008/10/strings-and-wood-in-sun.html

[Elizabeth Harper]

My winds of change offered me true love, but in another country......

http://www.giftsofthejourney.com/Elizabeth_Harper-Gifts_of_the_Journey/Blog/Entries/2008/6/27_Happiness_lives_here.html

[renee @ FIMBY]

I'm typically a batten down the hatches kind of gal, but I suppose an exception could be made for Oprah!! I followed your links to read what all this was about, a freakin' Oprah taping!! I think my routine could be interrupted a bit.

But... when my life gets topsy turvy I am grounded by very literally - the ground. The soil, the goodness that grows from it, the fruits of the earth that sustain my family and our well being. A visit & pick up at our CSA, preparing a pot of soup, stocking the larder with local veggies, digging in my own garden. These things ground me.

http://fimby.tougas.net/soul_restoration

[Julie Alvarez]

Traveling (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3029663905/) always refreshes me (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/1003580760/), and the sense I have of myself (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3030495096/).
But I am a homey person, organized, routine-lover, and I like me my little personal places (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3017087751/).
I need to get off every once in a while and shake it up, though...

[Paige]

I am completely the type to initially resist anything that would shake up my life and test my comfort level. Of course, if it was Oprah I would get over it quickly. But generally I am not super spontaneous. I would like to change that though.

[Jamie]

I'm totally jazzed at the idea of "being tossed about in the currents." This month I have discovered all kinds of changes - for the good. http://umbrellablog.com/bravery/where-are-you-growing/

[Gail]

...Life has it's ups and downs...but it's always a thrill!!
http://flickr.com/photos/22733432@N08/3045601155/

[Tracy]

Whoa, I can't wait to find out more! Hang on to your hat!

I'm not even sure how to answer your question. I struggled with years of uncertainty before my husband and I finally had the opportunity to become parents and it wasn't easy. If we hadn't been through the storm we wouldn't have arrived in such a wonderful place. The photo that jumped to mind is of the minute before we met our baby girl for the first time. We hadn't slept at all the night before and I look tired but excited. http://www.flickr.com/photos/31417716@N00/2785041346/in/set-72157606872591568/

[Bridge]

http://ridethewavesoflife.blogspot.com/2008/11/love-thursday.html

I responded on my blog, great photo.

[melody is slurping life]

I choose to fly in faith with dreams and hope, firmly believing all that comes my way is a gift.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melsphotophun/2845310314/

How wonderful, absolutely divine is this adventure in your life. Soak it up.

[kristin]

i heard of an unexpected death of an old friend today. too late to make any services. he was only 44. so i went to the beach. needed the wide open space and cold salt air. captured this. thought of him. hope he is flying off somewhere happy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/3045827917/

[Puna]

Turbulence is ok, as long as there is always a soft place to land.

http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/i-like-solid-ground/

[Gail]

oops!! I posted a link to the wrong picture in my 1st comment...ups and downs - life is just a thrill!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22733432@N08/2634018124/
If there is any way to edit a previously posted comment please let me know!

[Gypsy Alex]

I can't wait to hear all about it!!!! I love how grounded this post is! xo