Inspiration
GROUNDED. (ADJ.)
1. HAVING A SECURE FEELING OF BEING IN TOUCH WITH REALITY AND YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS.
2. A FIRM FOUNDATION TO BE INSPIRED AND INSPIRE OTHERS.
Two weeks ago my Grounded class wrote letters of congratulations to Emily, who had just earned her White Bandana. She’s nine years old and lives in Atlanta. The kids in my class were amazed that at just nine she had achieved this. They were inspired. The letters they wrote were thoughtful, complementary and from the heart.
Let’s refer to the second definition of Grounded. Katie is in my Grounded class and has earned her Red Bandana. She is just 6 and only writes her name, but loves to draw and is quite an artist. She was not disappointed when the others wrote the congratulatory letters, because she sent an amazing piece of art. Let’s move to the very next week’s class. It was the day before Thanksgiving and she brought her friend, and they were the only two in class. After Katie taught her friend the Solid Ground Flow, we got out our gratitude journals. I was over the moon when I watched her write in her journal. I think the picture tells the story!
That’s what Grounded does. Emily in Atlanta was inspired to work hard for her White Bandana, my kids were inspired and wrote her letters of congratulations and Katie was inspired to WRITE. And I just realized I was inspired to write my first blog!
How will you inspire others today?
In celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday we learned how to work our feet and our hands. Just as Suess’ Mr. Brown Can Moo!, Mrs. Cat can MEOW! In “Mrs. Cat Can Meow! Can You?” A Poem of Wacky, Wonderful Noises – While Clawing the Mat we allowed our inner animal out on the mat while paying close attention to our hands and feet. Are they wacky? Are they flat? Are they clawing the mat? When practicing this wacky flow while making Suesserrific noises you too will learn the importance of clawing the mat. In playing “Stop Foot, Go” (a zany spin on the all time favorite game, Musical Chairs) and studying the 4 corners of our feet we checked on our left foot and our right foot making sure they were fuzzy fur feet. While “Roaring”, “split – splatting” and “meowing” along with Mrs. Cat we learned that when our four paws are aligned we feel more steady, more grounded, and in balance with the universe.
Bondage and ignorance and limitation!
As Earth Day approaches this year, I am struck by what it means to truly foster Peace on this planet. I remember as a child, learning about anti-nuclear protestors who chained themselves to fences and were forcibly removed and jailed. These brave souls became my heroines and heroes in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. I was moved to tears singing Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” and hearing stories of civil disobedience and the message of non-violent resistance. Later in the 1990’s, when I danced barefoot on my very first Earth Day, a lump would form in my throat when I celebrated each small victory (and the Gigantic Hearts) of environmental protestors who sacrificed so much to save a single tree and worked to preserve open space for our children’s children. Peace.