Last weekend I went to Hump! film festival with a few of my friends. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a line up of amateur porn videos (no longer than 5 minutes) that celebrate the range of human sexuality and defy convention. Some are vanilla, others imaginatively kinky, but all present a range of body types, ages, colors, genders, sexualities, and kinks.
What I love about Hump! is that it exposes me to the possibilities of sexual exploration and also definitely pushes me up against discomfort, forcing me to reflect on my own attitudes and beliefs around sex. By the end of the 90 minute showing, I felt more desensitized to sex, not in a numb kind of way, but in a way that meant my mind was more open to the wide array of sexual pursuits that don’t all look like my own.
This was my 4th Hump! festival, but I’ve always gone with my partner. It was a special experience to share with friends. After all, it’s not everyday you watch porn with your friends. It felt particularly bonding to do something out of the norm, out of our comfort zone — something that caused friction and, therefore, sparked curious conversation. Speaking of intimacy with friends, this is the theme of our next book club. We’re meeting May 30th and all of the info you need lives here (I made a fancy landing page for it this time! Growth!)
It just tickles me to see how people choose to spend their limited time on this planet. I’ve been extra aware of time lately, not in the 9-5 kind of way, but in the time is running out OH NO! kind of way. Is this a midlife crisis? So you won’t be surprised that I recently picked up a book called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. The message of the book is not what I expected at all but I’m loving it. So far, the through-line is just accept that you have limited time and choices. The author, Oliver Burkeman, writes:
“...if you can hold your attention, however briefly or occasionally, on the sheer astonishingness of being, and on what a small amount of that being you get—you may experience a palpable shift in how it feels to be here, right now, alive in the flow of time.”
Our time here is precious. I know that intellectually but there are rare moments when I can distinctly feel it. They are always in moments when I stop, mentally step off the hamster wheel, and take in what’s around me. Like when I laid on a bench in the sun and savored the striking contrast between this perfect blue sky and brick red structure:
We all grapple with time in different ways but I think we can create the illusion that we’re stretching out time by more deeply appreciating and savoring the beautiful moments, whenever we can. Glimmers of adoration for the small yet exquisite intricacies of life make moments bloom.
We talk about the big picture (an important thing to think about for planning our lives, security, etc.) but what about the small picture? What does it feel like to be in closer relationship with the limitedness of this day, of this moment? How do the boundaries of a moment actually expand what we can see and feel?
Don’t you love how I transitioned from porn to an existential meditation on time and life and limited being? Anything can be a way in! There are infinite ways to be more spiritually awakened! Wow, life!
Speaking of spirituality, I’m excited to announce that I’m teaching a special (limited time, hehe) class in June + July. It’s an 8-week series called Philosophy Flow that introduces teachings from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and then weaves them into an inspired yoga flow practice. We’ll meet on Wednesday mornings 7:30-8:30am on Zoom (recordings will be available!) and you can purchase classes individually or commit to the entire series.
Everything you need to know about it lives here — all the logistics and details, a detailed syllabus with the sutras we’ll be covering, who it’s for, testimonials from past philosophy students, and even a *free* class that will give you a good idea of what the series will be like. I’m excited to start our day together on an inspiring and energized note. I hope to see you there! We begin June 5th. Please reach out with any questions [sarah@sarahdiedrick.com] ♡︎