Go Touch Grass

I recently went on a week-long birding trip to Florida, and unlike the majority of my life, everything went according to plan. I was able to see all the birds I hoped to, and more.

During this time, I didn't really read any news or even check the weather in my home state of Minnesota. I largely stayed off of social media as well. I was too busy from dawn to dusk photographing birds, and in the evenings sorting through all the pictures I had taken that day. I had been in kind of a winter slump back at home, but being in Florida re-energized me. Even though it was exhausting being out for 12 hours a day and then working through all the photos at night, it was refreshing in a different sort of way.

The phrase "Go touch grass" is a kind of internet insult that people use to tell others they should stop arguing online and go outside. While it's not usually said in a kind way, I'm here to say there's some wisdom in it. As my husband likes to say, "There's nothing we can't know anymore. If we have a question we can just look it up." But the problem with that is we are overwhelmed with everything we do know. We can be outraged all day every day if we so choose. There is no shortage of things to be outraged about. And they can all be legitimate issues. As an individual, there is so much I can't do anything about, and it can become quite discouraging.

I think some people are called to be passionate about some issues and others are called to be passionate about different issues. No one has the capacity to care about every single thing happening in the world. Which is what social media tries to tell us to do. Taking a break from the incessant "socials" can really reset your mind. We can choose to see the beauty of the created world. We can choose to see the kindness of strangers sharing an experience. We can choose to feel excitement about something new. Even better if we can choose to praise the Creator and feel gratitude for the day. Even Jesus went to a garden to take time away from the masses.

I'm not suggesting we should all just stick our heads in the sand and ignore the problems in society. I'm saying everyone needs a break, before you reach a breaking point. Maybe it's not possible to travel somewhere far, but just going outside and seeing a sunset, feeling the warmth of the sun, or listening to a bird song can help. So let this just be an encouragement to you, reader, to step away and refresh, and go touch grass. When you're rejuvenated, then use that to do good in your community, for the things you're passionate about.