If you’ve spent any time around pigs, you know one thing for sure: They like mud. I learned this firsthand growing up on a farm, where I often admired and despised the pigs we raised. Especially when they wallowed in the mud on hot summer days.
At feeding time, if the hogs were not already in the pen, my sister and I would have to go out into the woods and round them up, chasing them through the brush and trees. Sometimes, instead of heading to the trough, they’d detour down to the creek, flopping joyfully in the mud. Ugh!
I often wished I could hose them off first—clean them up before feeding them—as drying mud covered their hides, from their snouts to their hooves. One would open his mouth as if smiling and follow us along the fencerow with his curly tail wagging.
How disgusting but freeing. It seemed incredibly liberating to get muddy, smile and not worry about what anyone thought.
As much as I wrinkled my nose, I came to understand why they did it. Rolling in mud cools pigs down quickly—by nearly 4 degrees, according to some sources—far more efficiently than sweating. Our white Yorkshires, with their sunburn-prone pink hides, often stayed coated in mud, which worked like a natural sunscreen.
And I couldn’t help but envy their wild abandon. The closest I’ve come to that exhilarating, freeing feeling is a good jump in a swimming pool. Or a swerve in a car to splash through standing water. As the years roll on and adult responsibilities pile up, it can be harder to make time to unwind—for most of us.
While I’ve been dodging dirty things all my life, others have been diving right in—literally. Near my childhood home in Jacksonville, mud is always part of the scene. Crowds of off-roaders come roaring in on all-terrain vehicles, trucks and dirt bikes, churning up treacherous pits and sending mud flying as engines growl and vehicles launch into the air. Mud fights draw big crowds—slick with thick, sticky mud. It’s all in good fun.
When life feels heavy with frustrating deadlines, unnerving family drama, surprise bills and unexpected detours, it makes me want to run through mud or a puddle.
Naturally, children can’t resist the pull of a fresh puddle after a heavy rain. They stomp through the shallow water, sending droplets dancing in the air. Even more fun is plopping down, feeling the squishy mud ooze between their fingers and shaping it into a rounded mud pie.
Maybe that’s why mud and water play still calls us. It’s not just for pigs, or kids, but for all of us. Jump in, let’s wallow awhile.
