hearts and clouds
I’m not a big TikTok aficionado . I have an account but rarely scroll and never post there. But recently I learned about a phenomenon that gained traction on that platform that really resonated: romanticizing your life.
Put simply, it’s like a real-time gratitude journal. Noticing small, everyday things and seeing the wondrous moments, things, or beings in our lives. It’s taking time to feel the blessing of a cup of coffee or tea, of the breeze blowing, or the snowflakes floating down.
It’s also a sort of mindfulness practice, a noticing of the miraculous in the mundane. It costs nothing. You can do it anywhere, anytime.
Like any practice, it takes well.. practice.
Romanticizing your life is not creating an unrealistic nirvana (although some of the posts tagged #romanticizingyourlife seemed to be a false picture of perfection). It’s just taking time to be grateful for the “little” things already in your daily life.
Today, I was struck by the clothes drying on the line, how good they smell, the colors fluttering in the breeze, and the fact that I didn’t have to use my dryer.
I stopped to really notice my cat’s soft fur rather than rushing to feed him and let him out. A moment of communion. And delight.
Oh no, I really need to get a blog post written, I thought. I’m late. Then I stopped and took a breath.
Wait. How lucky I am to share my thoughts and favorite ‘helps’ with Menopause Goddesses. It’s such a privilege and a joy. I have the best job in the world.
So yes. There are things that are sucky – like menopause, Covid-19, climate disruptions. But romanticizing our lives just might help us cope with and work on those problems. Especially now, just before the holidays and post-Covid (almost) reentry. Tiny appreciations – every day. Join me and share your #romanticizing here in the comments.
Read more at SELF magazine: Romanticizing Your Life Can Be A Legit Form of Mindfulness
