Touching grass

A writing gamer's thoughts on a phrase

Good morning wordicorns and scribblers,

If you aren’t familiar with the phrase touching grass, it essentially means to go outside, get away from the screen, take a break from the frustration and noise.

It started with gaming culture. After dying for the thirtieth time in a row or failing to take down a boss or not getting the drop you wanted again, your game can feel like a chore or punishment.

So, you need to get away from it. You have to gather perspective. That way, you go back refreshed and excited to play.

Maybe when you log back on, you play a little differently. You go to a different dungeon, so you don’t encounter the same boss this time. You don’t play for the drop, you play for the fun. If you die, you make a joke out of it. You’re able to enjoy yourself.

But, it will ramp up again. That’s inevitable.

You’ll rinse and repeat.

When I first heard this phrase, I thought it sounded ridiculous. I wanted more words, I guess. Touch grass. It doesn’t sound like enough. Also, I find grass itchy and horrible—unless I’m on a walk or at a garden, that is.

But the idea is worth using the phrase for.

It’s applicable to so many aspects of life.

Certainly, the hubs and I have needed to employ it after hours of gaming—after I’d stepped in the same boiling blood pools again or he pulled the same hoard of zombies again. When he didn’t get the mount and I didn’t get the appearance we had been grinding the dungeon for, we needed to turn off the game, take a break, breathe. We had to remind ourselves that if we aren’t having fun, we shouldn’t be doing it.

But even if something isn’t supposed to be fun, you may need to step away.

Touching grass is about perspective, after all.

When someone is gaining success and you aren’t, when you put yourself out there and no one cares, when you try and fail, suddenly, the world is over. But it isn’t. You just need to touch grass.

That book that’s making you angry. That show that’s making you cry. If you don’t want those feelings, you need to step away. If you’re getting to caught up in anything, you may consider touching grass.

I may not be using it in its traditional form, but the core of the phrase is simple, right?

What’s important, really?

Is it a game? Is writing? Success? Reading? Is making your social media account beautiful? Is capturing a moment on video? Is sharing that funny thing you said online?

Or is it living? Laughing and loving and eating and breathing?

It’s experiencing the world. We don’t know how long we’re going to be here; that’s not in our control. We can’t necessarily control what job we have or the money that we make, where we live, or who we live with. Those are things that sound controllable, but may not be. We can’t control how our bodies and minds work all the time, nor can we control how other people act to or around us.

If we’re honest with ourselves, so little is within our control.

But touching grass, taking a moment to look around and enjoy the warm breeze or chilly air (even getting some tea or petting your animal; no one said you had to enjoy the actual outdoors, right?)—that’s something we can control. We can use that to refill our empty cups and make those uncontrollable things easier to manage. We can get our sense of playfulness and fun and creativity back.

All for the price of free.

So, touch grass. Give yourself some perspective. It could change your whole day, your week, your whole fucking life.

Or maybe it’ll just soothe your nerves for a second.