Finding Magic in the Day-to-Day

     Hello!

Last month I talked about cultivating a sense of wonder, and this month, I want to go off of that and talk about finding magic in the ordinary. 

When I was little, I loved stories of magic, of knights and princesses and epic quests. To be honest, I still do. I do wonder though, if in that search for the otherworldly magic, I missed the magic that is present in the day to day. 

When the world sort of shut down in 2020, I was out of a job for months. One of the things I did was to go on more walks. It was a novelty for me to not be rushing everywhere, frantic to get from here to there. I could do nothing about my situation so I was forced to slow down. In that slowing down, I began to notice the world around me. To really notice.

There was magic in every aspect of life. I didn't need a fairytale quest or magic that came with a whiz and a bang. The ordinary magic of the every day was soft and gentle like a whisper on a breeze, but it was there, and reader: it is still there, waiting for us to notice.

This morning, I was thinking about the wonder of technology. While a lot of it seems to be frustrating and sometimes making life harder instead of easier, it is a blessing in a lot of ways. We are able to get messages to family faster instead of waiting a week or months. We are able to order groceries and other goods directly to our doors instead of spending a lot of time and money going shopping. These can be good things, but there are two sides to every story.

While technology is a blessing, it is also a curse. It allows me to cram things into my schedule, filling up every nook and cranny of my day with things to do. I find myself looking at my phone more than I do at my family. I miss the smiles sent my way, the interactions with my family. I miss the sunset and the sunrise. I miss the birds splashing in the bird bath outside of my window. Surely, I do not need to be this busy.

On my drive to work today, a hawk took off from the ground and flew alongside my car. It was so close! I was able to see the grey and brown mottle of it's wings and the way they moved as it took to the heavens. 

A little later, I pulled up to work and got out of my car. In front of my car was a beautiful pink flower with a pale pink interior and anthers that looked like they belonged on sea anemones instead of inside of a flower in the high desert. I had the sudden urge to pry open the flower and see what else lay inside. It sparked a sense of wonder in me, a little magic in the ordinary. It was something I would have passed by if I had my nose in my phone like I usually do. 

I do not mean to put down technology. I use it a lot and in several ways, it does make my life easier, but what I do want to say, is take time to breathe.

 Maybe put away your phone or your device at a certain time every day and look around you. Really look. Peel back the layers of a flower, note the way a bird takes flight. Write a hand written letter to a friend. Have a conversation with a family member. Ask them how their day went. Look them in the eye and notice the color of their irises. Take time to watch the sunset. Live and breathe. Take time to notice the magic of the ordinary. 

Until next time...

- Julia Garcia / Arysta Henry