(Hiking at Lula Lake on Lookout Mountain, Georgia) 

How busy would you say that you are? 

I bet you answered with a statement claiming to be on the fuller end – something like ‘very busy’ or ‘pretty busy’.

Why do you suppose that is? I’m not asking, ‘How many things are you doing that you qualify yourself as busy?’, but rather, ‘Why did you choose a lifestyle of busyness?’ Why do we think that saying we are busy is the right answer? 

Especially here in America, we are constantly subjected to a sense of buzzing urgency all around us. Our smart phones send us a thousand (mostly meaningless) notifications, our inboxes refill themselves daily, and everywhere we look we are reminded of how much we could/should be doing. Our cities are building themselves under the banner of ‘convenience’, attempting to aid us in our endless race to check the boxes of our to do lists with fast food restaurants and another Walmart. 

We are moving at such a speed that our brains are never left to rest. While we schedule every unstructured minute, we miss the moments of spontaneity and simple beauty. 

Our minds need time to wander. We need time to just be; free from our planners and lists. When was the last time you day-dreamed? When was the last time you forgot about work? When was the last time you felt fulfilled in a moment that wasn’t synced to your google calendar? 

Maybe we should all just be a little more lazy. 

Maybe instead of drinking 19 cups of coffee, we should get a good night’s sleep. 

Maybe instead of feeling guilty about not doing extra work on the weekends (the same work that we oftentimes don’t even accomplish between 9 and 5 at our desks), we should enjoy our actual lives – you know, the time we spend away from our offices where we exist as human beings. 

Maybe instead of taking on an extra commitment, we should take the afternoon off.

Taking the time to rest, to be lazy, is essential. It may seem self-indulgent, but it’s actually highly beneficial. We need to let our minds wander in order to stimulate our creativity; it is from this day-dreaming that we find the will and strength to get real work done. 

We don’t have to be busy. Busyness is a human construct that makes us feel important and needed, but it’s a false sense of movement that robs of the sweetness of living. 

Go on that trip. Close your laptop. Say ‘no’. Say ‘yes’. Forget your responsibilities for the day. Most inportantly, ask yourself: 

“Am I Being Lazy Enough?”