It's one thing to talk a good game about "finding my center" and "staying grounded." It's quite another to live it. This week has been one reminder after another of how easy it is to lose my footing.
Just when I think I've got it figured out (oh, and am advising a client or friend on how to take care of their stuff), my demons show up to haunt.
In my work to help clients act and decide more consciously, I'm hyper-tuned in to craziness: when the reality of what's happening is somehow being ignored or unseen. And yet it's scary how capable I am of this myself.
Last weekend, my husband and I booked a trip to China for October. We've been wanting to check out Asia for years, so an abundance of frequent flyer and Marriott points lets us go at bargain prices. Then why was I so restless, so disturbed by making these plans? Turns out I've been acting crazy by not taking care of some basic but important priorities. In the past, running off to exotic lands was a great escape. Now, it causes unbearable dissonance if my own house is not in order.
Last night, I started a Staying Grounded List. Both my husband and I are adding stuff to it -- things we each need to take care of, some big (replace the car clutch, fund my SEP-IRA); some small and niggling (track down an order that's gone missing, replace a broken license plate holder). All of these things are about better self-care, giving ourselves a good kick in the rear, and staying grounded in, well...our present reality.
We're making progress on taking care of stuff on our Staying Grounded list. Does snapping at my husband to "take care of _____" count? No, I'd say not. However, minding my own unfinished business sure does.