I admit that I have never been the "stop and smell the roses" kind of girl. I assume it's because of how fast-paced I like my life to be, or perhaps I never let myself enjoy the small things and [sometimes] the big things. I was obsessed with pondering what the next big thing I could accomplish was or what was the next goal I was working towards. Don't get me wrong, both of these things are remarkable things to be doing, but recently, I felt a void when quarantine pushed me to stay at home for months on end.

For the first months, my thoughts were fixated on things that I had been excited for 2020 and how awesome they would have been. I began to be overwhelmed with boredom and grief as the COVID-19 death rate rose and the injustice of George Floyd cast our unsettled souls in such disarray.

Everyone on the face of this planet can agree that 2020 has not been kind to any of us, some more than others.

I came across a TikTok with the audio saying, "You have to start romanticizing your life. You gotta start thinking of yourself as the main character. If you don't, life will continue to pass you by and all the little things that make [life] so beautiful will continue to go unnoticed. So, take a second, look around, and realize it's a blessing for you to be here right now," (credit to @ashlaward on TikTok).

After I saw that TikTok, I started reflecting on life until that point. My mind would circle back to the thought of how life could be so messy, complicated, and unpromising. I wondered why I would dwell in the bad moments when most times there is nothing to do about them? Why couldn't I exert the same energy when the good moments came along? I wasn't allowing myself to thrive and appreciate the small things that came into my life and had the potential to make life so sweet.

From that point on, I vowed to not let myself dwell in the bad moments, especially when there was nothing I could do to prevent or make it better.

No matter how cringe-y it sounds, we should all be living as the main characters because, in the story of our lives, we are the main character. Every time I got the chance to laugh, I laughed until I couldn't breathe. I lived the day like one grand adventure no matter how boring it looked on the outside, especially while being stuck in quarantine. I would be so appreciative to see another day on this beautiful earth. I watched more sunsets than I probably had ever watched in my entire life. I treated people more kindly than I had before. I would be present wherever I was, instead of scrolling aimlessly through my phone's apps. I noticed more things in nature and just living presently in the moment I was in.

I gradually noticed more things about the people in my life that I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't actively trying to romanticize my life. I noticed that when my grandmother tells me that she loves me, she will without fail clutch her rosary around her neck that she is always wearing. I noticed that whenever there's something on my mother's mind, her forehead will be creased. Whenever my father is thinking intently, he will place his hands on his hips. By romanticizing my life, I have opened myself up to being more present, building stronger human connections and relationships while having a deeper appreciation for existence.

I can only imagine how unhappy I would've ended up if I kept living my life without stopping every once in a while to appreciate the small things and living in the moment.

I urge you to try romanticizing your life.

Life is so delicate, beautiful, unpredictable, and profound. Why not live it as joyfully as you can? We are only given one chance after all.