STAYING GROUNDED

Aaah, the sky is falling! Just when it looked like the ash cloud from the Chilean volcano was not only hovering over Tassie but had actually descended to ground level, all we were experiencing here in our village was a good dose of what most of the State had been suffering for the last few days. Merely a decent dose of fog.

Our position part way up the mountain usually exempts us from such afflictions, as we sit in glorious sunshine looking down into the valley blanketed in a thick layer of the stuff which often sits there all day. Nice to look at when you’re above it, but chilling to the bone when you’re in it.

So, yesterday was our turn, don’t think we even made it to 5 degrees. And to add to everything being obscured all day we woke to a doozy of a frost, all the yards white and scrunchy underfoot. My timber walkway from the path to the front door turned into a skating rink, pools of water were frozen, and even contemplating hanging out the washing in bare hands was fraught with the danger of possible frostbite.

As if the discomfort and annoyance for those whose travel plans were thrown into disarray because of a volcano half way across the globe weren’t enough, just when it looked like things were on the improve, Tassie’s winter weather threw yet another obstacle into the mix to keep people grounded a little longer.

Being grounded is an interesting word, and depending on how it’s used can be seen either as a positive or a negative. The physical limitations of this week’s dilemma for travellers as they attempted to negotiate other means of getting from A to B were probably a negative experience for most, as well might be the stern words “you’re grounded” to a teenager who may have stepped over the line.

But when we refer to someone as being well grounded, I bring to mind people for whom I have a lot of respect and hold in high esteem. Those of sound character, those I can trust, who don't see themselves as the centre of the Universe, who display a degree of wisdom, warmth, patience, perseverance, self discipline, and responsibility.

Being grounded for me implies a solid foundation on which a stable framework and structure can be built. From whatever sphere, be it faith based or not, operating from a set of values gives you a focal point from which to start as well as measure your motives and performance. Without the groundwork, what grows from it will be all the more vulnerable and easily compromised when challenges arise.