How To Romanticize Life
How to romanticize life
Perhaps that has been talked about before (it certainly has been talked about before, but I’ve never seen it implemented towards a romanticization of life specifically).
This thought started once upon a time, when I was seeing many of those posts talking about how to romanticize life, especially when it was not romantic at all to begin with. The thing with these posts that I’ve seen (not a problem, just an observation) is that all of them talk about specific images of romance, rather than talk about how to achieve these. For example, one would talk about “strolling down a wooden area” or “wearing a specific ensemble”, but from my own experience, these actions alone are not enough to properly romanticize one’s life.
And then, after I enjoyed a particularly romantic moment myself (doing the dishes, of all things!), I sat down and wrote about it, wondering why this specific activity (which I usually find myself indifferent to) brought upon me those feelings. And then, it dawned on me.
To romanticize one’s life, it is not about a specific activity, but about the grace, the elegance, we put in any activity we do.
It is about being mindful of the action itself. About deliberate movements we do to achieve that elegance. And, at the root of it all, it is about being in the present.
Elegance is rarely achieved naturally. It is true, some people might appear to us elegant by nature, because of how they talk, how they walk, how they hold themselves, but mostly, elegance is a choice. And it comes in two easy steps.
1. Posture.
When someone brings about the image of a long commute on the bus and how wretched that makes one feels (I know, this is a time of pandemic, we avoid the bus when we can, but for the sake of the experiment, let us imagine). It requires a simple shift in posture, to elongate one’s body against the back of the seat, to bring the head a little higher, and to hold onto a phone or a book with care, as if the item is precious (as it should be). And suddenly, the ride becomes romantic. Because, at that moment, your brain shifts from your thoughts (about the ride) to your body. Take a moment to appreciate the fact that your body is now talking to you in places you usually ignore it and look out the window. You are now in a period drama.
2. Slowing down.
One particular movement I can think of that brings about either indifference or complete hatred is this one: putting on a mask before going out/going in a closed space. Well, even that singular moment can become elegant, therefore romantic, with this simple step: when one slows down their movement to put it on. It takes just a couple of seconds, no more than usual, but it demands an attention turned towards the body rather than the mind. Feeling each fingers stretching with the elastic going around the ears, softly pulling the fabric above the nose and under the chin, making those last adjustments before going in. The whole thing takes around 3 seconds. But your brain, in those 3 seconds, is able to override any thoughts you might have had then, and focused on those movements. Take a moment to appreciate hearing your body where you thought it was once quiet. The period drama you are in has multiple episodes.
There are plenty of other small ways to bring more elegance (and romanticism) in one’s life. Taking the time to pronounce our words better, reading a book and clearly hearing all the words in our head, carefully selecting which clothes to wear and feeling their material on the tips of our fingers, choosing a style of writing that is more polished than usual, no matter the language (which I did at the beginning of this post, to prove a point - writing a post on Tumblr is far from romantic, but I made it happen for me anyway and then I got bored because I’m only human and I can romanticize things only up to a point). It does not matter where you are, how much you have, the style you prefer to walk around. It is all about taking the time to feel those actions in our bodies.
Romanticizing life is akin to a meditation. For people who do not like meditating. Think about those period dramas you like (c-dramas count, they’re just as aesthetically pleasing!), think about those youtube video you can’t stop watching (thinking of Bernadette Banner here, as well as Liziqi). They all have that in common. They show us deliberate, carefully chosen images, and those images have a proper posture (no shaky cam) and every movement look somewhat slower so we can properly see what is happening on the screen.
Of course, it is entirely possible to romanticize our lives in retrospect. To think about our week and see all those times life has been romantic, despite us not trying. But true romanticism is lived in the moment. So enjoy it as it lasts.
TL;DR To romanticize something is not about doing certain activities. It is about being present in any actions we take. It is about mindfulness. It is a form of meditation for those who do not like meditating. Being in the body rather than in the mind. As romantic and pleasing as images and ideas are, it really is through the body that we experience the feeling of romanticism.
Now, go forth, and feel the romanticism of your life as it is.
More Posts from Lady-moonarch and Others
Me too. It would be amazing ! 🥰
I’m just saying...these three as a trio in series 13 is a concept that I’m here for 😍
welcome!!!!!! this is long overdue. i’ve been promising myself i’d made this forever. so here it is - the ultimate masterpost of wlw (women loving women) books. not all characters are lesbians, some are bi or pan, though all books feature f/f relationships and/or themes. there are 150+ recommendations, so enjoy!
YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY:
the miseducation of cameron post by emily m. danforth
keeping you a secret by julie anne peters
grl2grl by julie anne peters
lies my girlfriend told me by julie anne peters
far from xanadu by julie anne peters
rubyfruit jungle by rita mae brown
annie on my mind by nancy garden
kissing kate by lauren myracle
everything leads to you by nina lacour
dare truth or promise by paula boock
gravel queen by tea benduhn
her name in the sky by kelly quindlen
tell me again how a crush should feel by sara farizan
no one needs to know by amanda grace
my best friend, maybe by caela carter
dirty london by kelley york
ask the passengers by a.s. king
empress of the world by sara ryan
pages for you by sylvia brownrigg
waiting in the wings by melissa brayden
breathing underwater by lu vickers
hood by emma donoghue
between you & me by marisa calin
starting from here by lisa jenn bigelow
about a girl by sarah mccarry
the flywheel by erin gough
the necessary hunger by nina revoyr
the house you pass on the way by jacqueline woodson
about a girl by joanne horniman
gravity by leanne lieberman
another life altogether by elaine beale
great by sara benincasa
the gravity between us by kristen zimmer
taking flight by siera maley
the road to her by k.e. payne
the summer i wasn’t me by jessica verdi
unspeakabe by abbie rushton
beauty of the broken by tawni waters
read me like a book by liz kessler
starring kitty by keris stainton
holding back by mila kerr
cam girl by leah raeder
not otherwise specified by hannah moskowitz
an unstill life by kate larkindale
look both ways by alison cherry
a story of now by emily o’beirne
my summer of love by helen cross
marionette by t.b. markinson
the difference between you and me by madeleine george
the bermudez triangle by maureen johnson
girl walking backwards by bett williams
FANTASY/PARANORMAL/SCIENCE FICTION:
the dark wife by sarah diemer
twixt by sarah diemer
the witch sea by sarah diemer
sugar moon by sarah diemer
far by sarah diemer
carmilla by joseph sheridan le fanu
ash by malinda lo
huntress by malinda lo
adaption by malinda lo
the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson
karen memory by elizabeth bear
bleeding earth by kaitlin ward
lady knight by l.j. baker
the second sister by rae d. magdon
wild by meghan o’brien
santa olivia by jacqueline carey
everafter by nell stark
iron & velvet by alexis hall
silver kiss by naomi clark
with her body by nicola griffith
ammonite by nicole griffith
the windup girl by paolo bacigalupi
a harvest of ripe figs by shira glassman
seven by jennifer diemer
braided by elora bishop
crumbs by elora bishop
labyrinth by pearl north
the drowning girl by caitlin r. kiernan
the red tree by caitlin r. kiernan
the big lie by julie mayhew
the first twenty by jennifer lavoie
the girl in the road by monica byrne
every dark desire by fiona zedde
CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER:
black iris by leah raeder
dangerous girls by abigail haas
far from you by tess sharpe
slow river by nicola griffith
the blue place by nicola griffith
stay by nicola griffith
vanished by e.e. cooper
keepers of the cave by gerri hill
hunter’s way by gerri hill
child of doors by j.s. little
scars by cheryl rainfield
trust me, i’m trouble by mary elizabeth summer
out of order by casey lawrence
reconstructing amelia by kimberly mccreight
vicious little darlings by katherine easer
HISTORICAL:
the paying guests by sarah waters
tipping the velvet by sarah waters
affinity by sarah waters
the night watch by sarah waters
fingersmith by sarah waters
the price of salt by patricia highsmith (also known as carol)
wildthorn by jane eagland
silhouette of a sparrow by molly beth griffin
lies we tell ourselves by robin talley
patience & sarah by isabel miller
the hours by michael cunningham
the well of loneliness by radclyffe hall
mrs dalloway by virginia woolf
the world unseen by shamam sarif
map of ireland by stephanie grant
hild by nicole griffith
honey girl by lisa freeman
letters never sent by sandra moran
fall on your knees by ann-marie macdonald
the last nude by ellis avery
the teahouse fire by ellis avery
olivia by dorothy strachey
the friendly young ladies by mary renault
moon at nine by deborah ellis
the marriage recital by katharine grant
the crimson ribbon by katherine clements
the other typist by suzanne rindell
days of grace by catherine hall
desert of the heart by jane rule
ADULT FICTION:
sing you home by jodi picoult
and playing the role of herself by k.e. lane
i can’t think straight by shamim sarif
stone butch blues by leslie feinberg
curious wine by katherine v. forrest
the color purple by alice walker
jericho by ann mcman
oranges are not the only fruit by jeanette winterson
gut symmetries by jeanette winterson
why be happy when you could be normal? by jeanette winterson
written on the body by jeanette winterson
where we belong by catherine ryan hyde
at the water’s edge by harper bliss
behind the green curtain by riley lashea
96 hours by georgia beers
all that matters by susan x. meagher
give me a reason by lyn gardner
ice by lyn gardner
my last season with you by s.v.c. ricketts
taking the long way by lily r. mason
nightwood by djuna barnes
living at night by mariana romo-carmona
choices by nancy toder
cassandra at the wedding by dorothy baker
landing by emma donoghue
stir-fry by emma donoghue
pitifully ugly by robin alexander
COMICS BOOKS/GRAPHIC NOVELS:
blue is the warmest colour by julie maroh
fun home by alison bechdel
dykes to watch out for by alison bechdel
honor girl by maggie trash
skim by mariko tamaki
potential by ariel shrag
strangers in paradise by terry moore
NON-FICTION:
odd girls and twilight lovers by lillian faderman
surpassing the love of men by lillian faderman
chloe plus olivia by lillian faderman
to believe in women by lillian faderman
sapphistries by leila j. rupp
inseparable by emma donoghue
passions between women by emma donoghue
dear john, i love jane by candace walsh
a woman like that by joan larkin
aimee & jaguar by erica fischer
the femme mystique by leslea newman
boots of leather, slippers of gold by elizabeth lapovsky kennedy
different daughters by marcia m. gallo
between women by sharon marcus
charity and sylvia by rachel hope cleves
lesbian culture: an anthology by julia penelope
alice + freda forever by alexis coe
behind the mask by matthew dennison
Dying in your arms. Happy now?
-
cursed-woods reblogged this · 1 month ago -
pinklinkx liked this · 1 month ago -
rosiewitchescottage reblogged this · 1 year ago -
rosie-the-lancs-witch liked this · 1 year ago -
alixathome reblogged this · 1 year ago -
getfreekjd reblogged this · 1 year ago -
arijensineink liked this · 1 year ago -
findingbugs reblogged this · 2 years ago -
kcftliod liked this · 2 years ago -
iluvdannydevito reblogged this · 2 years ago -
theoldwaysarenotdead reblogged this · 2 years ago -
belenosblack liked this · 2 years ago -
letscandyme liked this · 2 years ago -
itstheroomthesunandthesky liked this · 2 years ago -
slugchild liked this · 2 years ago -
stellalouis liked this · 2 years ago -
mudpuddlenl liked this · 2 years ago -
alexisthegayestofgayboys liked this · 2 years ago -
notyetposted reblogged this · 2 years ago
-
drpepperisthedarlingofmysoul liked this · 2 years ago -
f4irykookiess liked this · 2 years ago -
angelshortforangel liked this · 2 years ago -
freedomreversalrebel liked this · 2 years ago -
temporarycrowbirb liked this · 2 years ago -
kiyovii liked this · 2 years ago -
vie-belle-vie liked this · 2 years ago -
cavilleer liked this · 2 years ago -
heartattackbychuu liked this · 2 years ago -
aslaneij00 liked this · 2 years ago -
soleilskies liked this · 2 years ago -
walkabovethecity liked this · 2 years ago -
themaskofthephantom liked this · 2 years ago -
nogalia liked this · 2 years ago
-
starry-eternal-blue liked this · 2 years ago -
lilyrosepoppy liked this · 2 years ago
-
drop-pop-queendom reblogged this · 2 years ago -
the-cutsie liked this · 2 years ago
