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!

• 

   

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...” 

― Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

how to be happy

The first and most important thing

is to be thankful for the little things you have,

find the joy all around you,

the small magic,

the tiny discoveries that make life extraordinary,

and

appreciate that there is beauty everywhere.

 

One of the things I was thankful for lately was an afternoon to myself.

I had a dentist appointment, 

which I am irrationally afraid of.

And my tooth hurt so i decided not to go back to work, 

but stopped at a new body of water I had recently discovered to drink my banana flavored milkshake. 

I couldn't eat lunch, but i could drink.

I have always lived in this area 

but i had never even heard of this small lake, 

a series of small lakes it turns out.

I had sort of stumbled upon it a few weeks ago while looking for somewhere else.

And it is close enough to get to on my lunch hour.

 I just love it when i find a new spot to go to that has water. 

It soothes.

Stuff i am loving on etsy....

Cause though the truth may vary,

This ship will carry

Our bodies safe to shore...

-of monsters and men

Not sure why i love that song so much or what power a tiny paper boat has over me but there is just something so magical about a folded paper boat. They can sail through dreams, and across oceans of uncertainty. I am sure Max sailed in one when he sailed back over a year, in and out of weeks and through a day, and into the night of his very own room. Nothing is better for sailing the high seas except possibly wynken, blynken and nod's wooden shoe......

Blue ocean Siren with aqua h... CaryeVDPMahone... $50	Origami Jewelry Silver Boat ... monteazul $32	Woman in a boat sculp, c... ArktosArt $111.52	Origami Earrings Boats Japan... jusdekiwi $14
Driftwood Boat Driftwood Sai... BlackCrowCurio... $36	Paper Boat Garland, Dictiona... PaperAltar $27.5	Paper Boat necklace altdesign $14	Origami boat necklace 35x16m... Marakelyan $16
My Paper Boat - Photo prin... Caracarmina $20	Glass paper boat. Stained gl... hereandnowshop $50	Paper Boat Stud Earrings - O... H2OhMyGod $3.99	12 Paper Boat Name Place Car... NANAZOOLAN $18.75
Black and White Photography ... VictoriaEnglis... $25	Turquoise Bracelet - Art Jew... CutTheFish $23.5	Tale of the high seas, Fine ... PhotoReverie $30	Mini Origami White Boats x 1... lovingpaperdes... $12

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sweet pea inspiration, art, and video

 

Sweet pea memories

Waneta Lake as a child

walking with Grandma

 

it seemed like magic

a whole field of pink sweet peas

like a fairy tale

 

 

Happy Paint party Friday! and hello at Haiku my heart!

Mysterieux Carnival

Frosted petunias and Incipient wings are hosting the Le Mysterieux Carnival.....For those of you who are out visiting this blog party..... Here's the tale of my visit to the otherwordly event.

         It was not what I had expected.... But then it was my choice. I passed up the black spun candy and  the orange rock crystal sugar bits, the vendors in top hats selling all manner of goodies and dark treats, the glittered pumpkins and dark tule skirts under satin dresses. I slipped past the eerie rides in a dreamy dance, listening to the music of the carousel as I headed straight to the fortune-teller tents. I so wanted an answer to my question that I took the silver ticket that I had found on the seat of my car, rolled up and  filled with glitter, and handed it to the man in the  black suit.

 He was standing  guard in front of the passage into the lane where all the psychics in their skirts and scarves and beaded earrings waited. He looked at my ticket with a strange look on his face and put a hand up to block my passage. 

       I said, "But I have this ticket, it's mine..... And I need to speak to a fortune teller."

      He said, "This ticket is for The Teller of Truth's, you will find her deep in the forest. Go down the lane, follow the crow past the fields of corn, follow the trail of tarot cards until your Spirit guide leads you to the correct path. Turn when you see the fairies' garden of mushrooms. You will find her there.  If she will see you that is."

I didn't know what to think, except that I had to see her. I had to know. I started off with only a minute's hesitation and one backward glance at the tall man who watched me walk down the lane. I followed his directions, picking up tarot cards in the wide trail, and soon came upon a split in the path wondering which way to go... when I spotted a bright yellow toad hopping to the left. Assuming he was my guide I followed along. I saw the mushrooms right away and turning onto a new path. A few twists and turns later i could no longer hear the caliope or the brightly dressed carnivale people yelling out their sales pitches. And there she was behind a table full of white items. 

She looked nothing like I expected, actually she looked alot like me. Older, heavier, with out glasses and her hair was longer with a streak of gray like a skunk, but still similar to mine. She didn't speak, but she laughed to see me and started pouring some sort of salt into a bowl. She opened a vial and sprinkled something into the bowl on top.  The scent of cloves hit me. The candle flickered and her scarf blew in a wind I didn't feel. I checked out her table, it was covered in white items and she was dressed all in black. There were coins and crystals, i began to think they must have been left in payments. There was even a container of what looked like baby teeth there. I panicked when i realized i hadn't brought money. I had thought my ticket would be enough. She asked for payment, some piece of me, something i loved. I reached into my pocket without a second thought and pulled out my little rock talisman. I carried it everywhere for luck. I set it on the  table and pushed it forward with one finger, worried it wouldn't be enough. Again she laughed and gestured for me to take a star from the bowl. But then she held up a hand in caution and said..." first think hard on your question... Remember this.... The question is more important than the answer...."

I paused, but already had my question in mind..." will everything be OK for us?". This question had run through my head daily since i found the ticket. That's it, just...will it be OK? So i took a white 
star, opened it right there, and was so relieved to see the words written there. She dismissed me with a  wave and a laugh and I practically skipped away, so happy to know my answer. 

It wasn't until I was in bed that night that I suddenly "knew" that all the stars had that same message. They ALL said the same thing. I had been fooled. 

Then I thought a little farther and remembered what she'd said..... The question was more important than the answer. If all the answers were yes then you just had to ask the right question. If you asked "will I fail?" the answer was yes. If you asked "will I succeed?" the answer was also yes! I had gotten just what I wanted and needed!

The video shows just a little bit of my journey to the Teller of fortunes.

If you would also like a tiny rock like i paid for my fortune, and a white origami star of your own, leave a comment and i will draw a winner of this tiny giveaway on monday.  Thanks for listening to my tale! 


Update, I have realized the video didn't post correctly, i always have trouble with this because i ended up with two separate you tube accounts...  oh well, here's a link, maybe this will work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzlaHbOOMyY&feature=plcp