Moments in the Woods

Humanities today got into more Romantic philosophy and I am really enjoying it. The philosophy that I enjoyed the most was the one about enjoying the moment. Wylie Sypher said, "The romantic self heroically involved the whole world in the experience of the moment." Before Romanticism, a person wouldn't say things like, "Stop and smell the flowers," because that wouldn't be considered a practical use of time. But a romantic person believes that we all have in life are moments, and though we know that they won't last forever, we still need to enjoy them.

I am going to start applying the idea of recognizing and enjoying sensual moments to my life. Oh, and let me clarify one thing: Sensuality is different than sexuality. Sensuality is like enjoying a moment with all that you have, using as many senses as possible, knowing that nothing exactly like it will ever occur again. Sexuality is a part of sensuality, but not all sensuality is sexual. All good? All good.
For me, some sensual moments are:

-Waking up and knowing that I don't have to get up.

-Holding the latest book from a series I love, opening it up and breathing in. I love the smell of a new book, and it almost seems like I can taste the story that's going to be told.

-Walking through grass barefoot.

-Laying on concrete when it's warm and feeling like I could stay there forever.

-Having the guy I like touch me, even in a very casual way. There's electricity there, and it's hard to notice anything else.

-Being really hungry and then pouring a bowl of Cheerios and eating them with really cold milk.

-Listening to a depressing song that perfectly captures the way I'm feeling and just sobbing. Not a happy one, but it just feels so right, in a weird way. Bittersweet moments can be appreciated just like joyful ones.

-Waiting offstage for the curtain to be opened, being so excited you can hardly breathe, and filled with nervous energy. Everything about this moment should be rememebered- the way the costume feels, the sound of the unseen, the sound of the orchestra warming up, everything.

-Holding flowers and breathing in really deeply.

-Seeing "Wicked" in St. Louis was pretty much one giant sensual moment made of thousands of smaller ones. I could never describe it.

I hope that you all can think of some sensual moments in your life- I think that recognizing them makes them much more valuable and enriches life. I'll end with some song lyrics from one of my favorite musicals, "Into the Woods."

Any moment big or small
Is a moment after all
Seize the moment
Skies may fall
Any moment.

Days are made of moments
All are worth exploring
Many kinds of moments
None is worth ignoring.

All we have are moments
Memories for storing
One would be so boring.
Best to take the moment present
As a present for the moment.

Leave the moment
Just be glad
For the moment
That we had
Every moment is of moment
When you're in the woods.

Oh if life were made of moments
Even now and then a bad one
But if life were only moments
Then you'd never know you had one.

Let the moment go
Don't forget it for a moment though.

(lyrics from the songs "Any Moment" and "Moments in the Woods".)