"Romanticizing Your Life" as a Catholic
If you're on social media at all you've most likely heard of the concept of "romanticizing your life." Speaking broadly, this means to take delight and find beauty in everyday moments, making them more beautiful. This could mean simple things like lighting a candle in your room while you get ready for the day, making your notes for class colorful and pretty, or making an effort to have a routine that you enjoy and stick to, while listening to soft, beautiful music.
What does the Church say about this practice? From what I can tell, romanticizing your life is a beautiful way to practice mindfulness and keep God at the center of your life.
The Pontifical Council for Culture, in The Via Pulchritudinis: Pathway for Evangelization (2006), wrote, “The via pulchritudinis [‘way of beauty’] can open the pathway for the search for God.” When we see or experience something beautiful it makes us slow down in order to savor and appreciate it.
Saint John Paul II wrote in his Letter to Artists, "Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savour life and to dream of the future." Think of a groom gazing at his bride as she walks down the aisle toward him on their wedding day. He is fully present in the moment, captivated by her beauty, while also dreaming of their future together as they make their way to Heaven.
Now, while romanticizing one's life and everyday, mundane tasks certainly seems like a good thing for both one's mental and spiritual health, as with everything, there are downsides. It would be easy to get so caught up in creating beauty that we never stop to appreciate it, or the natural beauty that occurs in nature and in the human person. When this happens, it shifts the focus away from the beauty of God and improving one's mental health, and on to personal pleasure and enjoyment. And this, self-centered romanticization as opposed to romanticization centered on pleasing God and growing closer to Him, will never satisfy the deep longing in our hearts for beauty, goodness, truth, and love. Pope John Paul II continues, "That is why the beauty of created things can never fully satisfy. It stirs that hidden nostalgia for God which a lover of beauty like Saint Augustine could express in incomparable terms: ‘Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you!’”
Considering that as Catholics, all we do should be centered on God, what are some ways that we can practice romanticizing our lives while keeping our minds and hearts focused on the Lord? Here are some ideas...
Pray a morning offering as soon as your alarm goes off.
Exercise each morning wearing cute, modest shorts and a t-shirt while praying a Rosary.
Put on Praise and Worship music as you get dressed and make some coffee.
Take time to eat breakfast, even if it's just a bowl of cereal, honoring your body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Pray using the Hallow App while you commute to school or work.
Decorate your study or workspace with beautiful artwork.
Listen to music while you study or work.
Try to attend daily Mass or have designated prayer time at some point throughout the day.
Smile! Smile to yourself. Smile at others. Just smile. It helps.
Take a lunch break to eat a yummy meal or snack and then ACTUALLY STOP WORKING and take a walk, work on a craft project, or read a book.
Put on comfy clothes after work or school and take time to do something you love or spend time with family.
Take a walk in your neighborhood, taking a different route than usual.
Make a corner of your room into a prayer corner by decorating it and having a comfy chair or other spot to sit.
Keep a gratitude or prayer journal and write in it each day before bed or during your prayer time.
Read Catholic literature.
Light prayer candles around your home or these chrism scented Sacred Heart of Jesus Candles
Celebrate feast days and Sundays with Liturgical living, decorating, dressing, and eating according to the celebrations in the Liturgical calendar.
Dress in a classy and modest way each day for work and school.
Visit and take pictures of beautiful churches or locations while you are on vacation or other trips
Choose a verse, passage, or quote to pray with each week.
Create an evening routine for prayer and relaxation.
Commit to reading a spiritual book each month.
Learn! Take a course in Theology, philosophy, history, or ethics.
Keep Sundays as rest days where you limit doing homework or any other sort of labor or thought-intensive work.
Participate in activities and ministries at a parish, local, or diocesan level.
... And many more!
Try this week to implement even just one of these options and stick with it to see if you're beginning to notice the effects of additional beauty and intentionality in your life. Bringing small, beautiful moments into your life (AKA, romanticizing) is a journey, not a one-time event. It takes practice to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and infuse your life with the beauty and joy that are only found in pursuing God. Let's embrace the journey to Heaven by living a life infused with purpose and faith, finding Heaven every step of the way.