Romanticism

     I think I am a product of Romanticism.  Looking back on my life I can see some things that lean towards enlightenment but overall I have more romantic qualities.  One of the main romantic qualities that I feel I have is that if individuality.  The earliest I remember seeing this in myself is when I was in middle school.  I hated gym class, not because I disliked exercise but because I have never been good at sports and I didn't like being picked nearly last.  I also had a tendency to be very shy and quite but in 7^th grade it began to change.  I remember telling myself, who cares if you suck at soccer and softball, just get out there and have a positive attitude and have fun!  I attempted to do just that.  I would wear my hair down and when it was time for gym I would throw my head upside down, gather all my hair on top of my head and put an elastic in it.  My hair was literally on top of my head. As I began to express an attitude of, “I don’t care what others think of me, I am going to play hard and have fun,” I was not last to be picked for a team.  I was much closer to the top and I know this is because I was myself.  I laughed at myself if I missed the ball and told me team I would do better next time.  I was expressing my true self and I loved it. 

     Since then, I have always tried to just be myself and if others did not like the way I was, I did not care.  I do tend to comply with social norms such as getting married in a white dress.  But if I could do it over again, I would not have a traditional wedding reception and I would get married in whatever color dress I wanted! Who made the rule about wearing a white dress? Sure it represents purity but white looks horrible on me and you should feel beautiful on your wedding day! Looking at pictures of that day,  I look very washed out and I don't feel that pretty and that is why I would wear a different colored dress.  

     Also, I have a grown a love for nature.  My husband’s family is a very outdoor family and so I have experienced a lot of nature with them.  Some credit must also go to my general education art class.  Since I have taken that class, I notice the colors and shading of landscapes.  I love to be the passenger on road trips so that I can watch the mountains as we drive along.  Then, I can pay attention to the shadows and how it looks when the sun hits the scenery from different angles.  The world we live in is beautiful. 

     Finally, I relate to romanticism because I want to get away from commercial life.  I would love to live in a cabin in a small town away from the hustle and bustle of city life.  I feel like it would be less stressful and it would make life simple.  I am a product of the Romantic time period because I love that I am my own unique person and I am not afraid to express it, and I love nature. Along with my love of nature, there is a strong desire within me to live in a rural area.