Everyday Magic

"Magic is not a practice. It is a living, breathing web of energy that, with our permission, can encase our every action."--Dorothy Morrison, Everyday Magic

I stopped at Duane Reade this morning on my way to work, and as I waited in line, I was listening to a little girl who was badgering her mother. She was the sweetest little thing, with the brightest smile...and noticeable gap where a tooth had once been.  "Mommy, are you sure she will be tonight?"  "Yes," mommy sighed, exasperated after having to answer the same question over and over again. "But how will she find me?  I wish we hadn't move." the little girl pouted.  "Oh, she knows where you are.  She knows everything."  The little girls face lit up. "You promise, mommy?  You promise that she will come?  Will I see her?"  "She will definitely come, " mommy said, "but you must make sure to go to sleep early.  The Tooth Fairy doesn't like to be seen."  I couldn't help but smile.  Ah, the wonderful magic of childhood.

When I was a little kid, it was so easy to believe in magic...the wonder found in the twinkling of a firefly, angels, fairies, the magical excitement of Christmas, peaking through the crack in my door as I waited for Santa Claus...lying awake at night hoping to catch a glimpse the Tooth Fairy, the man in the moon.  When you are young, there was a sense of wonder around every corner...just waiting to be discovered.  Life was full of incredibly, magical events.

And then, one day, you grow up, and, with the dawn of adulthood comes that sense of drudgery, responsibility and a good dose of rational reality as we see more of the other side of life...the pain of losing a loved one, our parents growing older, our grandparents seeming to fade away,  divorce, worries about paying our bills on time, illness. Our hearts get broken as we experience many things that leave us broken and crushed. Reality has a way of taking away the magic of our youth, and our belief in magic fades, until,  we no longer believe in fairy tales. We must get on with the reality of living our lives and leave the magic to children.

But, the good news is that the magic never really goes away; it continues to live inside of us all....only now we call it fantasy, belief, faith, and countless other terms that are just a mask for the magic in our lives. what about the magic of falling in love or in the birth of a child?  Ir the magic in the power of the words that lift us up when we are feeling down?  There is magic in the sense of touch.  How many times when you have felt angry or hurt that a simple hug made it go all away?  Our dreams for the future can be magical.  In fact, anything that we add special meaning to can be magical...the changing of the seasons, that cute little puppy, in the sight of a beautiful tree, the beauty of ocean, its waves lapping against the shore. 

Yes, the magic does live within us all; it is up to us to reach for it. When you are feeling down, remember, it is okay to go out and dance in the rain or to smile and wink at the man in the moon. Open your eyes widely and see, really see,  the fairies as they dance about in your garden.  Don't be afraid to make a wish upon a star; it just might come true.  Reach for the clouds. Above all...live...There is nothing wrong with living, laughing, and loving every moment of it.

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.--Roald Dahl