There are so many grounding exercises, so much advice about meditation and breath work, but what really holds you strong when your world becomes unstable?
A few years back, I had a labyrinth built into a hillside in the woods above my house. I thought I would walk it daily, that it would be my go-to meditation. It hasn’t been. Instead its a place I go with friends and folks who come up to my house on retreat, something we use in community.
But 6 weeks ago, when my partner, Andrew, needed emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia while away from home on a trip, my feet unerringly headed for the labyrinth. I walked while the surgeons operated, my feet tracing the paths in and the paths back out.
Two days later my father ended up in a different ER, also a thousand miles away. Again, I found myself on the labyrinth, winding up the hillside to come to the still place at its center.
This week mirrors that one: today, my Dad is having a surgery that will, hopefully, prevent future ER visits. On Wednesday, Andrew has a surgery to complete the hernia repair.
And I’ll be on the labyrinth… walking into the center and out, into the center and out.
Tell me: what do you do when all the shit hits all the fans all at once? What really works to keep you sane, centered, and grounded?
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