Have you ever been so happy and thoroughly enjoying yourself that you can’t stop smiling?
How about being so lost in the moment that the only thing you can focus on is the joy you are experiencing right then?

If you have, that’s wonderful. If you haven’t, don’t worry! There’s plenty of time to get on that. Because let’s face it, going through life day after day, week after week, year after year, only thinking about the future and worrying about everything that is coming up immanently can really stress you out. It sucks all the spontaneity and joyful surprises out of your experiences. And that just … sucks.

So that is why after going through this weekend and taking time to reflect, I decided I’d squeeze one more “usual” post in before writing something about Christmas at Loyola.

And let me just warn you: the things that got me grinning like a fool and living in the moment are not things I’d expect to lose myself in. Especially as one centered around the music my grandpa listens to (which I secretly love).

Can you hazard a guess? Yes? No? Maybe? Well, um, here goes:

SWING DANCING, BABY!

Yeah, who would have guessed I’d spend my Friday night with a great group of friends learning how to swing dance (at the Mobtown Ballroom) and then use those moves on the dance floor?

It was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Seriously. I didn’t know how it would go, which is probably why I had such a great time, and even though I may not be the best dancer in the world, it didn’t matter. I learned lead (the guy part, because at first there weren’t enough guys), and spent a good two hours kicking up my heels with people who were truly enjoying themselves. Yeah, ok, it was a bit awkward at first because no one knew what they were doing, but by the end my roommate and I were twirling each other around and having a grand old time.

I wish I had more pictures of the action, but the lighting wasn’t that great and I didn’t feel like blinding people with my camera’s flash.

I will say that sitting between dances and being asked to dance kind of made me feel like I was in a Victorian romance novel. It sounds ridiculously cheesy, but I couldn’t help but think of Pride and Prejudice while chatting with my friends.

By the end of the night we all agreed we wanted to go again next semester, so I’m super excited for that!

Now, going along with this musical theme of entertainment, my Saturday night was spent in a similar manner, though not as physically draining.

CHORDBUSTERS!!!!

Anyone who goes to Loyola knows that at some point they have to go to this amazing concert hosted by the Chimes and Belles, the two a cappella groups here. I’ve mentioned them before, but then I’ve only seen them sing a few songs at a time. Not a two-hour concert of sketch comedy and fantastic renditions of pop music from all eras. My favorites were Sweet Disposition, Hey Ya, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and All I Want For Christmas.

As I sat there in total awe of the Chimes’ ability to crank out high energy and high notes, I marveled at the human voice. It can truly do spectacular things. Those songs may not have given me the shivers (like Amazing Grace, goosebumps every time), but trust me when I say I couldn’t stop smiling.

It’s not very often I can shake all the worries I have going through my head and truly enjoy a leisure activity. Being able to do that this weekend was so freeing, I only wish I was able to experience it more often. But then again, would that reoccurrence take away from the appreciation of these special events?

I don’t know about that answer, but I do know that music has something to do with it!

As soon as he said “Breathe in slowly and exhale, feel your muscles relax. Breathe in and let the stress flow away from your body,” I knew that as Friday wrapped up a wonderful weekend would begin.

I was not wrong.

You might be wondering why on earth I’d be psyched about a little meditation, but trust me, after the week I had, I was really happy the Student Leadership Corps focused on stress and time management in our weekly session.

Taking time to unwind is crucial at school; I know I sound like one of those info sessions everyone gets dragged to in high school, but it’s true. I’m usually wound up really tight (both physically and mentally) so having an evening to hang out with friends, while partaking in not quite “conventional” entertainment for 19 year olds, is really appreciated.

What might this unconventional entertainment be?

Build-A-Bear

My friend turned 19 last week, so she requested we go to Build-A-Bear as celebration of this momentous event. My roommates and I met her on the East side of campus, where I noticed the trees were changing and got really distracted by the beautiful colors:

After a brief ride to the mall, we embarked on our journey to make new furry friends (Hey, I’m just quoting their website).

And yes, we did do the little dance/embarrassing series of hops and hand motions to ensure our bears had hearts full of love. No shame.

Here is Dr. Hiddles Holmes, one of the newest members of my room’s family.

After eating the obligatory food court dinner and meandering through some shops, we headed home and (literally) chased down a shuttle to take us back to our dorm.

Some hours of sleep later found me yet again taking an early morning stroll to the art studio (I’m amazed my roommate hasn’t thrown a pillow at me yet for waking up at 6 on the weekends).

As much as I love art, I wanted to get back to my room so we could decorate for Halloween. See, my mom sends me care packages labeled with “Do Not Open Till” leading up to various holidays (including International Talk Like a Pirate Day) so my roommates and I were pretty excited when we opened the box full of fall decorations.

Don’t worry, the festive atmosphere didn’t go unseen by others! Students from the Alpha  Theology class I’m an Aide for came over for spaghetti dinner that night. Apparently our room has a very homey atmosphere, but is very clearly “young adult” oriented (Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory stares me down when I walk out my bedroom).

All in all it was a pretty good weekend. Jam packed, but totally worth it. I live for those moments that seem to span an entire day when it’s only been a few hours. Sadly, those days are the most tiring, and right now it’s coming back to bite me.

Maybe I’ll put those relaxing exercises to work later this evening….