I'm Grounded

Everything - written by Davy Rasmussen and Lisa McHenry Stricklin

Song Lyrics


I didn't sleep well last night.  Maybe it was the full moon that brought to life all the thoughts, plans and worries that didn't want to sleep in my mind.  I woke up around 2:30 AM and began my traditional bed dance of moving from one side to the other.  Laid on my stomach,  flipped around to my back, counted sheep, thought peaceful thoughts, went to my secret place and an hour later I was still fidgeting and decided that it must mean that I need to go the bathroom.  I got up and tip toed to the jon and a few minutes later I slipped back into the covers.  "Oh they feel so good on this cool September night" I thought to myself as I sandwich in between the sheets and blanket.  "NOW... I'm really going to sleep."

Fifteen minutes later the dance begins again.   I think the last time I looked at the clock was 5:15 and wouldn't you know that sometime shortly after that was when I finally fell into that deep sleep that I needed.

The 6:30 AM alarm jolted be back from my cozy dream land and here's a little snippet of how the rest of the day follows, though I'll mention now that what happened at 7:30 PM was what grounded me.

6:30 - Wake, jump in the shower, take a cup of coffee to go
7:00 - Chamber of Commerce meeting  -  I am volunteering on the tourism committee
9:00 - Grocery shopping for the bed and breakfast
10:30 - Meeting with a local business about a new website
12:00 - Back home in time for a quick sandwich
12:30 - Mowing and weed eating around the hollow
4:15 - Repaired a broken bench
4:30 - Pressure washing the siding and cleaning porches and windows of the B&B

7:30 - Took Daisy (our dog), and a five gallon bucket with water,  on a ride on the fourwheeler to cut some of the September wildflowers that are in bloom so Sharon could use them in an arrangement and wedding bouquet.   I was quite pooped and ready for the day to end but flowers was the mission.  Sadly I wasn't really soaking in the beautiful surroundings as I was moving along through the forest.  Suddenly I saw a mass of feathers fly directly in front of me.  I came to a quick stop and almost threw Daisy off to the ground.   We sat there and watched the large Barred Owl decide whether I was a threat or not.  He peered with his deep brown eyes and finally blinked in acknowledgement that I was OK to be in his hunting ground.  I sat there for almost thirty minutes watching him hunt for supper.  I screeched out my best owl translation and he looked back and cocked his head side ways as if to say "You crazy human... you can't speak Owl."  

That thirty minutes of rest and observation re-connected me to My Everything.  Nature has always been one of the wells that I have to dip my bucket into to find center.   When I take a cool, slow sip of the earth and all the critters and beings that scurry around, it humbles me, slows me down and reminds me that I am just a spoke in the wheel.    That reprieve seemed to bring life back into my sails and open the shades on all my windows.  Driving back I watched a Doe and her fawn raise their white tails as they jumped over a wild rose thicket.  Countless songbirds flew in my path as if they were leading me back to the farmhouse.  I picked up a turtle and rubbed his belly and moved him out of the way and when I pulled in and turned the fourwheeler off,  I was greeted by an orchestra of coyotes singing in the distance.
"Ahh... now I'm connected."

8:00 - Cooked supper with Sharon.   We had okra fresh from the garden,  wild rice and shrimp scampi.
8:30 - Dinner and wine
9:30 - Reply to B&B emails
10:00 - zzzzzz  - Now I'm REALLY going to sleep good tonight!

The song that I'm sharing this week was written many years ago by me and my first real high school sweetheart.   I think we wrote it after being a part on our first summer break without each other.  It's quite simple, though the message of someone, something or some place being your everything, seems to transcend time and relationships.