Busy.

There isn't one word that describes the typical state of those around you, am I right?

"How are you doing?!"

"Good, busy!"

"What have you been up to?"

"I've been pretty busy!"

Also, since when is busy a feeling? Since when can we be "doing busy" when someone asks how we are?

And since when is busy a good thing?

Yeah, I suppose growing up we always heard we were supposed to be involved in extracurriculars and things,

You know, so we wouldn't get into any trouble.

Because the kids who weren't playing multiple sports, learning an instrument, in advanced classes, and working a job and a half, those were the kids who were in danger.

It isn't like we were avoiding our lives by being so busy. It isn't like we had a hunger for achievement that was pushed beyond its limits. It isn't like we had mental breakdowns in our rooms at the end of the day unless we just passed out from exhaustion.

We are taught to be busy, we are raised in a world that praises busy. Being lazy is unacceptable. Taking a break is akin to quitting. Maybe that worked for then, (or maybe it didn't,) but what about now?

Where has busy gotten you?

Do you even know where you are? Much less how you are.

When we are busy we are lost. And we were not made to be lost.

What if we took a break?

What if we took a breath and waited at least until the exhale to make our next move?

What if we said no to something in lieu of some sort of relaxation?

What if we re-prioritized our lives? Took away some of the superfluous nonsense, and replaced it with breathing room?

You are invited to this experiment, the one that has the potential to transform your life.

Allow yourself some space to breathe and be.

Ban the word busy from your vocabulary, treat it like a four-letter word.

When you hear yourself utter it, take that as a warning that things are not right. And then, with the most gentle and kind grace you can muster, shift your life.

Subtract things so you can add life because it isn't about how busy you are, but what you are actually doing.