Excuse the two posts that mention surfing in a row - that's pretty much what I've been focussing on this week with my best mate and surfer girl over from Tassie. Despite wanting to share with you about a million other projects, I've barely had time for *doing* of said projects. Here I am lying in the bath thinking *damn*, I forgot to post today - what's in my drafts? Old school Hivers will know this feeling. There feels an obligation to communicate with the Hive, compulsively, often, and with love. 

So whilst next week I'll likely show you progress on an upcycle, talk about fasting, perhaps share some tunes and write a story (do I have ADHD??), I am afraid all I have is some ocean and earth talk. Again. But it's also about how I need the water and the ground under my feet to feel connected and solid, so I can go about my crazy human being-ness. 

I know you know what I'm talking about. 

So let's jump in, even if you are thinking, oh man, what's she chattin' NOW? 

And it's gonna start with the smell of rain. 

These days there is a term or label for everything. It seems so much more important for people that we know what to *call* things, so we can classify, judge, understand. I find this infinitely funny. The word 'petrichor' comes to mind. We love that there is a single word for the smell of the earth after the rain, even though 'I love the smell of the earth after the rain' suffices in many situations, and 'petrichor' is all about the *science* of that smell. In fact, the word was coined by Australian scientists. It's all about the geosmin secreted by baccteria called actimycetes, and is released by raindrops. That smell you're feeling so emotional about is caused by *bacteria*, which do so to attract creatures that help spread it's spores. Perhaps *we* can smell rain because we need it for our own survival, and we'd be drawn in by the geosmin that react to the rain. In fact we are 200,000X more sensitive to it than a shark is to blood. Nature is amazing. And here's us on one end going 'wow, petrichor is a cool word!', without even really knowing *how cool*.  


Still, it helps us understand our relationship with the natural world, and why we *need* it so badly. Go deeper, and you'll realise why it needs *us* too. 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/riverflows/EoptrC5uHAuEFEekYjmgKZLkPiu1WKWVRHdAsScMLGEpsp8ULrmcoNfhzKTsgKutNY2.png)


Earthing, or grounding, is a term that was coined to describe the scientific impact of walking on the earth barefoot, suggesting that earth's electrons make us feel *better*:

> Earthing (also known as grounding) refers to contact with the Earth's surface electrons by walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems, some of them patented, that transfer the energy from the ground into the body. Emerging scientific research supports the concept that the Earth's electrons induce multiple physiological changes of clinical significance, including reduced pain, better sleep, a shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic tone in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and a blood-thinning effect. [Source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/#:~:text=Earthing%20)

Again, it's something we don't need to explain, we just *get* it. Going out for a hike on the beach or the forest, sitting out in the sunshine, gardening - we long for those things because it makes us feel good. The term 'earthing' or 'grounding' wasn't invented until 1998, by which time I well and truly knew in my bones that being outside *grounded* me, made me feel calmer, happier, more focussed, and sleep better. But hey, at least now I have some science to back that up, right? 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/riverflows/Ep5nDRUwLPMXZd8qEekHtNSJKvcF8iKuDeKLBfyENFsQhvo1TV4Hd4JMae359NsK9gs.png)


The yogis knew it too. Ground your feet to the floor, and everything rises up from there, steadier and more balanced and stable. Chinese medicine knew it - the qi or energy of the earth:

> The Chinese believe in Three Powers of the universe: Heaven (Tian), Earth (Di) and Human (Ren). Heaven Qi is the most important, consisting of forces such as sunshine, moonlight, gravity and energy from the stars and planets. Earth Qi is controlled by Heaven Qi and according to Chinese theory it is made up of lines and patterns of energy, the earth’s magnetic field and underground heat. Each individual person has their own Qi field which always seeks balance. All natural things, including humans, plants and animals, grow within and are influenced by the natural cycles of Heaven Qi and Earth Qi. [Source](https://www.simonblowqigong.com/qigong-absorbing-the-essence/). 

Whilst I find myself grounded or earthed barefoot in the garden or in the forest, it's the ocean that truly grounds me. The negative ions that 'earth' us are found in huge concentrations near the ocean, so whether you are barefoot by the sea, immersed in salt water or just breathing it, you're taking in negative ions. Of course I'm getting this near a waterfall or a river or anywhere in nature, but my body just *sings* when it's in the ocean. It's not just my imagination - it's the science. Being in the water increases my serontonin leaves and makes me happier. 

No wonder Dad used to say to me 'come on, get out of bed, there's nothing salt water won't fix!'. 

I don't care about the word for it, or the science. I just know that my whole body comes to life, and however bad I'm feeling, I feel *better* when I'm in the ocean. 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/riverflows/EqBcj9W811JpmYbAHF4xc3DuV6cndd4neGN7zeWzyisYXu4M6HDdfGN5GqYnxZF3Rt4.png)


I wish that everyone was taught how important it was to ground yourself in rivers, waterfalls, forests, oceans. Nature heals us - not just in a hippie way but in a scientifically backed way. If we all realised how important to *us*, maybe we'd work harder to protect what we have. 

Our very lives depend on it, much as the bacteria in the earth depends on rain, and small critters and large to disperse it's spores. 

## What grounds you? 



![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/riverflows/Ep1XuqrP7ZiiepDac4VFA7cExoJ8yKrcnhckhtijueuuh5YfFEheeNx18Ma9i8F4fq6.png)

This week's swell was *huge*. The bigger breaks were out of bounds except to the most experienced surfers. I love Autumn swells and with the El Nina weather patterns fading, perhaps this Winter is looking like a good one. Out to see the bombies or bomboras were breaking - the waves that break *only* when the swell is huge enough to allow that to happen. The sunlight hits the white caps and lights them up. The sky has been moody and dark - indigos, greys, blues. 

Although I had to work a couple of days this week and could only look mournfully through the cams, I did get a good day on Thursday where I surfed Fishos twice. Fishos only works on a big swell, and it's a bit legendary. When the word goes out that Fishos is breaking, everyone is excited. There isn't many other places to surf for most people when it's that big. 

I went out twice - once on the longboard, and then on the SUP when the wind died down at high tide in the arvo. The morning session was less crowded, and I got a couple of nice big waves. The arvo was harder - there was a LOT of water moving through and I got cleaned up by a couple of big sets, making me want to sit wide instead of being in the impact zone. There was a lot of people out there too so it felt a little more dangerous. 

Still, I was definitely *watered*. It felt good. 

### What waters *you*? 


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# `With Love,` 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/riverflows/23t6xT1abr5kFMeEirKwZ2QqT6MK9U4SBpKCQZAjVEojgm7uSSGL9AJSuwtBsUmMAV5jv.png)







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