I spent some time yesterday test-driving cars and exchanging a pair of new shoes for ones that fit me MUCH BETTER.
This morning, I woke up thinking this:
When we move around, we touch the ground through (1) our feet or (2) wheels.
Are there are other ways we touch the ground? Feel free to touch down below this post, with a grounding comment.
Whenever I touch upon a blog post topic, that seems to touch and transform all the photos I’ve taken recently, with new meaning.
How did I touch the ground yesterday?
Which photos touched you, down to the ground?
Here’s some touching music to ground this post:
Katrina and the Waves are “Walking on Sunshine” there, on the Tonight Show.
One more thought I care to touch on, before I touch the “publish” button.
No matter how many ways we touch the ground, there are so many ways we touch each other.
Thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and to you — of course! — for touching ground here, today.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 
Love the fire emergency post. There are some who say the best way to get grounded is to walk on earth in bare feet…has healing properties. Not sure of that lately…had a roof replaced months ago, and we are still finding roofer nails/tacks in our lawn. Oh, well. Lovely pics, Ann.
Lovely comment, Van. And make sure not to touch those nails with your feet!
It looks like your feet touched the ground a lot yesterday with all those wonderful photos you took Ann!
Thank you for this touchingly kind comment, Lisa!
Fantastic photos, Ann – all very grounding and a nice mix of old and new. It’s good to see how well Tom Sawyer’s painting skills have come on over the years, and I really loved the inspirational quotes. I suppose I’ve always thought of being well-grounded as being able to face life head on instead of living in a daydream or with our heads ‘in the clouds’. It’s similar to ‘touching base’ in that respect. And yes, there’s something infinitely beautiful about walking on bare earth instead of concrete. It has to be one of the most restful and therapeutic things I know, especially when there are lots of trees around. Now I’m getting carried away, so it’s time to stop. Lovely, thought-provoking post.
I am always touched when you get carried away, Millie! Thanks for this beautiful, grounding comment.
It looks like you touched the ground, but also saw so much that was emotionally touching–we are touched, and can, without knowing it, touch others in a non-tactile way. That makes me think about what I put out there and how it will touch others.
Also this is the perfect time of year to go barefoot. I’m glad you’ve switched to more comfortable shoes, but in some of those places I hope you felt the grass and even the water with your feet.
I am touched by your thoughtful empathy, Christopher, and I hereby resolve to go barefoot more often!
Those yellow trousers! – hope that fashion does touch ground again anytime soon!
She’s walking on sunshine and wearing sunshine-colored trousers! I’m so glad you touched down here today.
As soon as I saw the title of this post, I thought of the Shakyamuni Buddha, the Gautama Siddhartha known as the first Buddha, often depicted with one hand touching the ground: http://www.pureview.co.nz/shakyamuni.html
And if you haven’t picked out the new car yet, let me suggest the Toyota Prius, the regular model, not the little or bigger ones. We are on our third and fourth Priuses! I traded in a BMW for a 2007. DH traded in a Saturn SUV for a 2009. Last summer I bought a 2014, and then in the fall, DH bought a 2015 with solar roof. We love the Prius and would never buy another car that wasn’t either hybrid or all electric. We drive about 300-350 miles a week, alternating cars going back and forth between the mountains and city (120 miles or so) and each week spend maybe $30-35 in gas. It’s powerful, roomy, and great all around! Touch that!
Thanks for touching ground here, Sonnische. I test-drove the small and the regular Prius yesterday, because I’ve pretty much decided that my next car will be a hybrid. However, I WANT A SUN/MOON ROOF, and you can only get one (without getting a kashmillion other features I don’t want) on the small Prius. Why are you recommending against the smaller one?
And don’t it feel good, Ann? Yay to the waves spread by the Katrina we of a certain age knew best before that big, terrible storm.
Speaking of New Orleans, I was watching the golf tournament from Greenbrier, W.Va., this weekend, and they frequently showed the football field that’s part of the resort complex there, mentioning that the Saints train there, camps open in a few weeks, and your New England Patriots will visit that field for a few days this summer to scrimmage. Touchdown!
Finally, when I saw Grace live, I thought she kinda sorta had a Katrina-like vibe on stage.
Good vibes touching down here, Mark. And thanks for grounding me with an introduction to Grace Potter. She’s awesome!
Grace Potter used to come play the tiny places in Syracuse at the start of her career, Ann, and then the world found out about her!
Syracuse leads the world again, Mark!
I live walking on sunshine with you, Katrina, and the Waves.
I’m touched, Maureen, and I thought about you when I chose Katrina this morning.
I guessed that! XXX ooo
More good pics. I have to be very careful to touch the ground with my feet alone these days, otherwise it would take me rather a long time to get up 🙂
More good thinking from you, Derrick.
Hmm, your spring may have come a good month later than ours, but your day lilies are in full flower now and ours are still buds! I think I only rarely touch the ground… but I am quite happy.
I am quite happy whenever you touch the ground here!
Walking on sunshine sounds like a great way to touch the ground! Love all the pics of touching the ground!
Love your touching, sunshine-y comment, Val!
I think we touch the ground every time we hear of someone’s sorrow that is greater than ours. That we think we have it bad until we see what others have to bear. I get grounded really quickly that way. And when I ask the Goddess to help me along the way, as my Superman/woman cape falls off all the time!
I’m just grateful whenever you put on your cape to fly over here, Claudia!
Beautifully. All beautiful images Ann, so many Daffodils. Ann, did you ever see Emily Dickinson’s ‘Homestead’, I think it’s in Amherst? If you ever do, it has a beautiful garden also, or so I’ve seen in Google. I touched ground the same way Sonnische did, with her analogy with the Buddha. I found a painting in a temple, that says the whole story:
(Wikipedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0) Painting at Monastery in Laos
This painting depicts the god Mara, trying to disturb the Bodhisatta, just before he reached enlightenment. Mara knew Buddha was close, so he put all his efforts in trying to lure Buddha back to the world. Here is the episode when Mara drives an elephant towards Buddha. To defend Him, the Earth Mother (called the Water Mother in Thailand {Maeh Toranee} wrung out her hair, covering the land with water and drowning the demons. However, Buddha was steadfast and regarded everything that happened within and around him as just more happenings in the world, arising and passing away according to causes and conditions, with no abiding self to be found.
“Calling the earth to witness”
“In the iconography of Gautama Buddha in Laos and Thailand, ‘touching the earth mudra refers to the Buddha’s pointing towards the earth to summon the Earth Goddess to come to his assistance in obtaining enlightenment by witnessing to his past good deeds.”-Wiki
I am touched by all the wisdom in your comment, Maria. I haven’t visited Emily Dickenson’s Homestead yet; I will put it on my list of grounding destinations to visit.
Thanks Ann, I also liked Claudia Anderson’s comment a lot. “I think we touch the ground every time we hear of someone’s sorrow that is greater than ours.”-Claudia Anderson. Right on! Last night I did some reading about the singer that came out in your comment section (K. Carpenter). I touched ground immediately. What sadness and compassion came over me over this singer’s life!
Your compassion is very grounding, Maria. Many thanks.
You may not even have to go to Amherst. I just read that the New York Botanical garden began a collection, or “replica’, of Dickinson’s real garden, since many of her plants could not survive Amherst’s weather. Dickinson was a “connoisseur” of exotic plants, and apparently a dedicated botanical garden worked on making an exact replica of her “real” garden. Here is the news:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/arts/design/30dickinson.html?_r=0
Wonderful news and article, Maria. I am so glad you touched ground here again!
Wonderful photos as per usual, and yeah we touch the ground with our feet or with wheels although there have been times I thought it would be good not be able to float around and even fly from place to place but not something us humans can do we have to make do with our feet or the wheels on our cars or wheelchairs
When I was a child, Joanne, I used to wish, wish, wish I could fly. I always appreciate it when you touch down at this blog.
I really like the fire/emergency phone picture. There’s something about those that’s charming, as were many of the other photos, especially the arrows. I feel grounded barefoot in grass and on the sea’s edge where the sand is smooth…
I feel grounded as I read your comment! Many thanks.
Touch the ground makes me think of when I’m on a plane and the wheels come down and touch the runway, Ann. I always unconsciously exhale when that happens. ❤
Diana xo
Something else we have in common, Diana! It’s a relief to see you, as always. ❤ xxoo
For some reason it was those three empty chairs that most touched me. The whole of your post is thought-provoking but that photo really got to me – thank you so much for your cryptic wisdom xxx
You touched me, up to the sky, Julie, with that phrase “cryptic wisdom.” Thanks for touching ground here today. xxxooo
I touched the ground when my parachute sprung a leak.
I’m glad you survived the touchdown, Robert.
I like it when I touch the earth and the earth touches back nicely. 😉
I like it when you touch down here in such a touching way.
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