Get dirty! Go play in the mud!

Do you ever catch yourself being too serious about your life circumstances? My wife will screech at me on occasion when I have that look where I’m thinking about too many things and need to lighten up, have fun and smile. This last Saturday we took a group of teens and college students to the Mud Fest in Scottsdale.  It was intended to be a day where you got muddy or should I say dirty without any hesitation.

I watched as thousands made their way to Chaparral Park and did the unthinkable, jump or I should say dive into a mud pool. It wasn’t too long before the majority in our group had so much mud on them that you couldn’t recognize them at all. It was freeing to do something so crazy that it took away the struggles and stress of the day.

I have learned so much about life by watching my dog Freckles who is a Pit Bull and Dalmatian mix breed. She loves to chase after birds, bunnies, lizards and ground squirrels. It so funny to watch her get excited when she knows we are going walking early in the morning. She will be racing around and leaping into the air as if her life depended upon our early morning canal walk. Just as she is so quick to get excited she is also fast to put on her frown look when she knows that we don’t have time to go out at night. She will crawl up into her chair and sit there as if to say, ‘What’s so important that you can’t take me on our evening walk?’

I love the picture of this dog jumping into the air with the caption, ‘Live like someone left the gate open!’  Imagine what would happen if we let go of the things that stress us out and became more like the dog that escaped because the gate was left open! My Freckles has taught me so much about loving life and not being ashamed to be excited about the moment.

Time to let go, get dirty and go play in the mud!