Grounding

After years of being in college, then a year in Washington, D.C. for an internship, then graduate school in New Mexico, and finally landing in Virginia for my first job as a Speech Language Pathologist, I was startled by the grounding that came with being a dog owner. I received the email the beginning of March informing me of one blonde puppy available - two hours away. A couple of days later, I drove the four hour round trip to meet the breeder and her dogs. I left with a much thinner wallet than when I arrived. The timid little blonde boy was on the way to becoming mine. The rest of the money was due when I returned a month later to take him home at eight weeks old - the perfect age! Suddenly, I, and only I, was responsible for this little bundle of fur with sharp teeth and sweet smelling puppy breath. So the grounding I had missed the last almost decade, certainly the five prior years, was re-introduced. Rhythms and routines like potty breaks, walks, play time, meals, and cuddles began with my new companion. And I felt roots begin to grow where there had not been any before. I had experienced these growing up but it was different to experience these as an adult on my own. As my puppy grew from a baby to an adolescent to an adult, my roots grew deeper and stronger. I became accustomed to this sense of being grounded that sharing my life with my blonde boy brought me.

Since then, there have been other, smaller things that I have noticed helping to ground me at different times and in different ways. What have been things, people, and experiences in your life that have given you a sense of grounding?