Farmers are considered to be well-‘grounded,’ meaning they’re firmly established, stable, practical. But even though we work with the ‘ground,’ we don’t come in contact with it other than through our feet. (Grounding also refers to connecting electricity to the ground, but let’s don’t go over my head — Melissa’s the electrician in the family.)
A few months ago I read an article in the Utne Reader about how disconnected we are from the ground, and the electrical charges it holds. We wear shoes, and while gardeners might kneel in the soil, most of us rarely connect directly with the ground.
The premise of the article is that because we’re not in sync with the earth’s electrical currents, we get sick. I’m not going to debate the validity of wacky theories; the article just intrigued me.
So I decided to get some ground time. It was about 55 degrees out, but the sun had warmed the grass. So with our new barn kitten, Emmett, I lay down on the grass. I planned to spend 15 minutes there, getting connected to the earth’s electrical charges.
But when that time had passed, I didn’t want to get up. It was weird. So I let Emmett climb over me for awhile. Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour. Then Emmett crawled up into the bottom of my baggy pant leg and fell asleep.
I ended up ‘grounding’ myself for 1 1/2 hours! The next day I did it for 30 minutes.
Then the sun disappeared for a week, but now it’s back, and I plan to spend more time on the ground. I don’t know if I buy the stuff in the article; I just know it feels good. Weird.
Here’s the link to the article: http://www.utne.com/Mind-Body/Earthing-Grounding-Sleep-Research-Electromagnetic-Fields.aspx
While I spent time on the ground, I amused myself by taking photos of Emmett.
So did it feel good to lie on the ground because of the electrical current running through the earth? Or was it because I spent 90 minutes doing absolutely nothing but playing with a kitten and soaking up the sun… 🙂
15 Responses
it was the adorable furry kitten electrical current!!!
It was because you spent 90 minutes doing absolutely nothing but playing with a kitten and soaking up the sun. It’s called giving yourself a rest.
Seriously, I do believe all that about connecting with the earth. We were supposedly better off when we walked around bare footed regularly. Because of the grounding. Hard to manage in Minnesota in the winter time though. ;o}
P.S. Emmett is adorable.
Oh, my gawd! Cute kitty pics! (Esp. that first one.)
Liked the post, but generally just wanted to say how much I love your blog, and work tirelessly to convince my partner of almost 21 years how much we need to get a “farmette”. She hasn’t bitten yet……
Yes, it probably was the kitten therapy.
And Karen C, your partner is a wise woman. 🙂
I have done this. There is something magical about lying on the grass, soaking up the sun and also something of the essence of the plants beneath you. I wondered if it was ozone – didn’t they used to bleach sheets by spreading them in the sun? Maybe this treatment bleaches some of our stains from us, too.
I think you should do much more research. As in lying on the ground for at least a half hour, every warm day, with or without the kitten! At the very least, you will relax for a half hour on those days. 😉
I love to spend time sitting or lying on the ground with my animals. My sheep are much friendlier when I sit on the ground with them. If I lie down, they will often lie down next to me.
Oh, ye of little faith!
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What a cutie!!
I vote kitten and sun!
Interesting. It seems the further we get from the lives our grand- and great-grand parents lived, the less healthy we are in many ways. Of course, we now survive childhood illnesses and childbirth complications that used to kill people. But, the people who survived those things back then, often lived very, very long lives. Good food, hard work, grounding? I’m home recovering from surgery and devoured two of your books. Enjoyed them very much. Thank you.
Boo’s Mom….I’m delighted my books could help with your recovery!
I thought id stop by your blog and say hello. And i hope your enjoying the beautiful fall weather that has begun. Richard from Amish Stories.
Definitely the kitten.
Of course, if you lie very still while buzzards are flying over, you might get a surprise visitor.