Tuesday, August 2, 2016

How to find small magic in life

"It's all a matter of paying attention, being awake in the present moment, and not expecting a huge payoff. The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses.”
Charles de Lint


Most of my life I have been in search of small magic,
the kind of magic that is real and quiet and makes our days wonderful,
The kind that is in the little pleasures of life,
Things like treasure hunts with children,
Or planting herb gardens,
Or in quiet pine groves,
Or in the details of a feather...
Or creating a flower mandala...
Things we see all the time but in our rushed lives we often overlook.
Or in things we only see rarely but that fill us with small wonder when they do happen....
Like an unexpected moment when the wind blows and covers you with a soft snowfall of pink crabapple blossoms.


(A few years ago I made a video of the small magic in a feather here...I was very early on in my video making skills at that time but I still like it and hope you will too!)
(And another video here  of the small magic in a flower mandala... I was getting a bit better by this video. I think it is my favorite)



So for awhile now I had been thinking maybe I would make a post about my search, and try to show you all where I find small magic,
But I kept putting it off, until two things happened.

1. One of my daughters posted this on my facebook page...
(I had no idea that she or anyone really, was aware of how I felt about "magic" till she put it in words for me...)

"This right here is one of the many reasons I love my mama so much! She is so thoughtful and sweet, with a touch of magic on the side Her loving energy and her constant push for us to see the magic in everyday life is what I will always remember her by. My childhood memories are full of books about spells and unicorns. We went on trips to the falls and cricks and rivers, where we would stack rocks and build houses out of sticks and stones and flowers for the fairies. My birthdays consisted of vibrant decorations and pins and hats that were hand made by my mother and full of flare! I remember treasure hunts, with maps that looked like a REAL pirate could have handed it over himself... And even to this day, she still finds a way to bring magic in my life!  I can only hope that I become even HALF the mother that you are, one day. Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do, Mom. This little text has brightened my whole day and I can't WAIT to see the crystal you picked out for me!! I love you.. Yesterday, today and tomorrow♥ Forever and always!
  • 'This right here is one of the many reasons I love my mama so much! She is so thoughtful and sweet, with a touch of magic on the side ;) Her loving energy and her constant push for us to see the magic in everyday life is what I will always remember her by. My childhood memories are full of books about spells and unicorns. We went on trips to the falls and cricks and rivers, where we would stack rocks and build houses out of sticks and stones and flowers for the fairies. My birthdays consisted of vibrant decorations and pins and hats that were hand made by my mother and full of flare! I remember treasure hunts, with maps that looked like a REAL pirate could have handed it over himself... And even to this day, she still finds a way to bring magic in my life! :) I can only hope that I become even HALF the mother that you are, one day. Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do, Mom. This little text has brightened my whole day and I can't WAIT to see magical thing you have picked out for me!! I love you.. Yesterday, today and tomorrow<3 Forever and always!'
     

and 2. Nicolas, (a maker of fairy houses and much more, 
and a fan of following the same wonder one might have felt in childhood), 
suggested, after a conversation about needing magic in the world, that I make the idea a regular feature on my blog with a link....


So, now I have been hoping... if I added a linky thing at the bottom of this soon to be monthly post (starting this month on the 13th) that others would join in with posts of their own letting us know where they find...
wonder
and awe
and joy
And
Small magic!


“She wore flowers in her hair and carried magic secrets in her eyes. She spoke to no one. She spent hours on the riverbank. She smoked cigarettes and had midnight swims...” 

9 comments:

  1. You have so blessed your daughter that she has begun to return the favor in her own magical way ... if only all families could have such a story. My mother was like you in that she found magic in everything and shared it with me and today at a very old age, I find I am my Mother as well. Life is good and there is so much to appreciate, though there are many distractions to life's magic, if we remain focused on the beauty and the wonder, we will find our way. I so enjoy your blog, Andrea ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know, without a doubt, that I am IN and will make time to be a part of this each and every month! :) And thank you. . . though I have always been a firm believer in creating the world I want to live in and making magic within it every day, it is a delight and a welcome sign of "magic" to see others doing the same and creating that world in their own ways.

    a lovely message from your daughter as well!! She was so blessed. :)

    It's funny how it was the lack of that sense of small magic in my own, practical and no nonsense mother that drove me to create it and keep it within which, as I look back at that period of the always-confusing, young adult years, was the only place it could have survived until I was ready to let it out again. It never dies out, does it?

    Just a spark is enough to set a whole world on fire once again. . .

    ReplyDelete
  3. I do believe in the same. Love your list and you have come up with a great way to share the magic too. Happy PPF!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely post. It is true, it is how I try to live my life as well. Finding the little magical things in life that make the difference. It is so nice that your daughter notices and will follow in your foot steps.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful way to document all the magic moments in life.
    Thank you for your visit last Sunday. I'm a late getting back to everyone for a visit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I feel like a weepy baby after reading that beautiful tribute to a mother who makes magic...There's the name of your next book! " A mother who makes magic" Still teary... That paragraph your daughter wrote was pure magic...include that in your book too!! Wow.. such a heartfelt post! I never thought of it as magic but I did make so much happiness out of simple things!! We love all the spiritual things which is also magical! Great post!!

    Hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm surrounded by magic, the author of Peter Pan was born here (Sir J.M.Barrie)

    ReplyDelete
  8. wonderful. It is good to put on paper what you appreciate in life. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful post and a beautiful message from your daughter. Appreciation in even the simple things can bring magic to our souls. :)

    ReplyDelete