Welcome to the Romance Revolution

As soon as my feet hit the ground, the world around me is full of color. Texture, sound, smells - an array of vibrancy permeates the waking body, infusing us with love and light, if we allow. Wafts of coffee scent dance under the nose in intermittent, exciting little bursts. Beams of light stream through each crevice of the bamboo curtain until the struggle between light and dark is won by the overwhelming luminescence of the sun. And I sit silently, gratefully acknowledging the grandiose miracle of my breath above my seat.

The dog needs to potty and my brain groans in rebellion. Tasks? I must do tasks with the rising sun? "The magnificence of life encompasses tasks, too," the buddha inside whispers. And I am reminded of my undying love and devotion to this dependent little creature as I take her outside. The outdoor air is crisp, cutting through any spiraling thoughts at the helm of the anxious ego. Time seems to stand still in the moments of nothing which are also everything. I breathe in deeply, evenly over and again as the dog does her own version of a morning devotion.

These are the moments that define mens lives. These are the moments that breathe us to life. These are the moments when we stand firmly amongst everything recognizing life and death and that they're all one in the same. The epiphany is that there is nothing but love.

As I find this to be supremely comforting and fulfilling, knowing that my worth is not dependent on anything but existence, it still plagues me that the naturally gifted meaning laced into our lives is repeatedly subjected to abject relentlessness. Each time we step foot outside of our homes we're pushed, prodded, and beaten down through insidious measures. We have lost the depth to ourselves, caught in the winds of assimilation. 'Be efficient, be productive, dedicate your life to servitude - live to work but don't work to live. Pretend for the benefit of everyone else,' is the message that plays over and over on the broken record airwaves of society. We've lost ourselves because we've given up and given in to these lies. Assimilate for the sake of productivity, conform from the sake of smooth sailing, rise to meet the sea of expectation, and numb to pretend you have no pain. Wash, rinse, repeat. Stripped of our humanity.

To rise above this thinking, I reluctantly begin to release any fear which is undoubtedly leveraged against me in that framework. I repeat in my mind, 'You are free because you are you. You are you because you are free.' The mantra which slowly poisons the patriarchy and the oligarchy.

Each encounter, each experience, each breath is a marvel. I fall in love with men. I fall in love with women. I fall in love with the laughter of a small child. I fall for the little crinkle between my puppy's eyes over and over again, maybe to her detriment. I fall madly many nights for the stars. Each and every aspect of my life bleeds romance behind the lenses of my rose colored glasses. When I take the time to remember, everything comes into focus. The feeling is as though nothing could ever be truly wrong again. To be human is to romanticize, explore, embody. To be human is to feel, to love.

Sip tea slowly. Let its aroma carry you away to the world inside your heart. Enjoy it and be joy because of it. Smile when you're happy. Cry when you're sad. Seize the seconds between sunrise and sunset in the least constructive of ways. Efficiency and productivity have no place in the realm of romance. Stake your claim to your humanity. Be nothing but love, even when it feels impossible because there's nothing else to ascend to - you already are love. Death to expectations! Welcome to the romance revolution.