Touch Grass. No, Seriously.

Hello loves!

It's been a little while since I last did a post here. As usual, I miscalculated how busy life could get and haven't had a chance to lock-in on SoupScribbles as much as I'd like. That said, things should be getting back on track soon! (And yes, there will be a Fiction Friday next week.)

I don't know about y'all, but I'm so glad the sun is back today. I love the rain, and I love that it's cooled things off a bit, but I'm thankful for the break. Partly because people really don't know how to drive in the rain, but mostly for the chance to go outside again.

The last few weeks, I've realized I spend most of my time looking at screens and sitting. Like a lot. Like it's concerning. And that's without the doomscrolling or Netflix-binging that I (and most others) fall victim to. I mean, between my actual job, writing a book, and the miscellaneous graphic design projects I do, it's expected. Almost everything I do for work involves a computer.

And realizing that made me a bit. . . bummed out.

Before you say anything, no this isn't going down a "those darn phones" or "technology is evil" rabbit hole (though it really is those darn phones.)

It's easy to waste the day in an office. Sure, you might be getting some mindless work done, but does that really matter? Does anyone actually spend hours clearing out the spam folder on their email and feel like that was a day well-spent? I think most people want something more. Something real, that's more than just corporate brownie points and "promotions" that come with more responsibility and a fake title, but no extra pay.

Fun fact: most offices utilize blue light. Blue light is known to improve alertness and reactivity. Combine that with the aptly named "Fake Urgency" found in some corporate workspaces and you have an environment that places productivity above all else.

I don't think productivity is bad. I don't think work is bad. At the same time, I think humans were made for way more than work. I think placing the bottom line and shareholder happiness above quality of life is crazy messed up.

And I think that spending most of your awake hours sitting before a screen, scrambling to fill out reports or spending hours in "super important meetings that don't actually accomplish anything" kind of stinks.

Obviously, people need to work. We have to get things done to make society function. Also, money.

But honestly? Unless you're in a position that holds people's literal lives at stake, work shouldn't be as stressful as it seems to be for most people. Good work ethic is great, and I am definitely not saying you should slack off and never get things done. But when you make a mistake in a presentation or show up to a meeting late because you went to the wrong room---I can say from personal experience that it's not the end of the world.

There is so much more to life than a job. More than what's on our screens or in stocks or any of the other intangible data points that seem to have taken over our attentions in the last few years.

I've been taking time in my work day to leave my desk and walk outside. I'm lucky to have a walking trail nearby where I can be in nature, but just the physical act of walking away from my desk does wonders. I'm forced to take a breath, to be present in the moment. I challenge myself to not think about work or other stressors and instead to look at what's around me.

Sometimes I see cool stuff, like a snake swimming in a river or some birds flying by. Other times I see nothing out of the ordinary. Either way, I'm looking and feeling the world around me. The sunshine, the birdsong, the traffic.

Take the time away from the digital, desk-locked world and reconnect with the one you're actually living in.

And seriously, go touch grass. It'll help you more than you think.

Love y'all!

"O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small."--Psalm 104:24-25