By being rooted I meant working without alienation. I think your examples show you seeing your everyday life as a mean to an end. Why just not care? Why express anything or even feel anything? The universe is indifferent anyway. Actually while working on the gravel road I remember making mistakes that cost me hours of extra work (yes, I'm that clumsy!) but while they kept inside the closed context of road fixing (i.e. it didn't affect my other schedules nor caused any permanent damage) I just went on with robot like apathy. Why jump and cry when I knew exactly what happened anyway. There was no mystery and consequently no room for emotions. It was like a mathematical proof.

Actually I teach people around that if nobody else cares why bother caring yourself. The reception seems to vary. However I'm not saying you should be stoic because it is good for you but because it is nobody else's business. Rootedness is being at home in one's own life doing private stuff the way an addict plays a video game, not caring about the outcomes. Emotions are just a way to signal others you need something. Feeling stuff while being alone is a way to be dependent when you don't have to. I don't mean this 'being at home' is totally cold but the feelings involved are different.

I can actually share a story. This morning I woke up thinking that I have commitments I'm late with. The usual reaction I think most would think of is to use this stress for getting work done. I however thought that nothing in my life should be governed by feelings. I have work to do but if I can't get it done by pure reason it is not worth doing anyway. Regardless of the consequences.

Most people believe in being motivated and would say that you need to keep the drive and keep trying and believing. You should ride your emotions and use them for your own good. I believe they are like those who take new debt to pay the interests of their old debts and end up going in circles and attaining nothing but stress and heart problems and driving their friends nuts by constant complaining.