As the sun disappeared below the horizon, bringing darkness so I couldn’t see my muddy hands in front of my face, I finally came inside the house. I had spent the entire summer day playing house outside in the mud. My little brother, Michael, and I had been busy making pies, cookies, lasagnas, and tacos all out of leaves and mud. We let our imaginations run wild as we played. It didn’t matter that our “house” consisted of a few wooden pallets, some broken tiles, and cardboard boxes. It didn’t matter that we found things to furnish our “house” from our family's recycling bin (we used empty milk jugs and old newspapers as home accessories). All that mattered was the joy that we found in our game.

In my life today, I no longer have the luxury of losing myself in mud pie making. It has become so easy to lose myself in stress. I become consumed with to-do lists and due dates, and I don’t have time to pause and find joy. This society values being busy. It’s encouraged to be up and doing things from the moment I’m waking up, to my head hitting the pillow. Granted, I am getting things done, but I’m exhausted. I’m drained. Sometimes I drink an ungodly amount of caffeine just to push through the day. And this is not ok.

A study on rest was done at Berkeley. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Author of the book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, outlines some ways to foster creativity and avoid burnout. He mentions taking walks outside good for your body and your brain. It’s proven to promote relaxed yet innovative thinking. He also says that stopping your work with still a bit of energy left makes it easier to start again the next day. Soojung-Kim Pang says that stopping when you know your next move prompts the subconscious to continue creating around your project. He also states that having a routine around your creative process will get your brain into the creative flow quicker than if you were to begin your work differently every day. He also recommends that starting work in the morning will result in more creative work because you aren’t tired from the day. Resting is a universal human need and we should not ignore it.

We are raising a generation of busy people but not happy people. We are becoming a bunch of successful yet depressed shadows moving through life without joy. We shouldn’t be living life drained of our joy because of how busy we are. We crave to stop and smell the roses, but we don’t dare stop hustling because we might be seen as lazy or unmotivated.

While I am no longer a little kid who plays in the mud all day, that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to put busy on hold and rest for a day. I am worthy of joy that comes from rest, and so are you. We need to stop rushing and start feeding our souls. This looks different for everyone; while I love to paint or hike you might love a cup of tea and a book, and this is all ok. If you’re looking for someone to give you permission to drop everything and start taking care of yourself - here it is! Let today be the day you rediscover the value of mud pies.