The go-to answer people use to describe how they’re doing. The number one excuse people use. The default lament. It’s an addiction spurned by fear, anxiety, or ambition. And of course it’s addicting…the feelings of importance. The glorification of a productive week. The pride of crossing something off a list. The reassurance of meaningfulness. Full schedules, innumerable obligations, noisy phones…hysteria. This current reality of so many Americans isn’t inevitable, it’s a choice.

This state of being ridiculously busy is self-imposed.

Richard Foster once wrote, “We are too busy only because we want to be too busy.”

Oh, how we love to be busy! How we love to spout off lists of things we’ve accomplished in one day. How we delight in having to keep it all straight in fancy, cute day planners. How we long for alerts in our phone to remind us of the next important thing we have to run to.

And how we love to run! From the minute the alarm goes off in the morning to the race in our minds as our head hits the pillow at the end of the day, we’re running. We treat every task, text, and thought as if it’s the very most important, emergent duty. And so we run, with our lips, our hands, our minds, we run. And we run fast. Fast is the only speed.

How attractive.

How exciting.

How addicting.

How exhausting.

How dry.

How sad.

What a web of lies we’ve tangled ourselves in; lies that if we’re busy, we’re important. Lies that if we’re moving fast, we’re productive. Lies that if our schedule is full, we’re living a full life. Lies that if we’re busy, we’re worthy.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” Socrates

May you be brave enough today to step off the hamster wheel. May you be disciplined enough to leave the phone silenced during dinner. May you refrain from sighing as you slow down for, yet another, red light. May you chew your food 30 times, savoring the flavor. May you answer the question “How are you?” without using the word “busy”. May you learn to say no. And may you find your worth in something other than your full schedule.