We all need a little magic!

I was on Twitter the other day tweeting back and forth with another artist.  As I was signing off, I tweeted to her to keep painting and that we all need a little magic.  As I typed those words, I thought that was going to be my next post.  We all need that little bit of magic to keep us feeling alive.  Yet, so many of us deny ourselves this much needed addition to our lives.  Why do we do that?  I think back to when I was younger and believed in magic, faeries, and all things magical.  When did I stop believing?  When do we all stop believing that something wonderful could happen for us and why?  I wish I had the power to make us all look for a little magic every day in our lives.  If you look hard enough, it really is there!

 

We plod though our lives, day after day, following a routine that we generally establish on our own because it suits our lives and gives us boudaries with which we guide ourselves.  That really does work for most people and I would include myself in that group.  The problem is, that if you don't allow a little room for some unexpected fun, you end up feeling trapped and that your life has been sucked out of you.  It took me years to realize this and I'm sad that it did.  I really needed a wake up call to get me living a real life, not the scripted one that I used every day.  That wake up call came, my confidence in routine dipped and I wondered how I would live out the rest of my life.  Would I be stagnant, living quietly alone and not growing or could I turn what was perceived by myself as a full stop put on living, into a reach for something better?  I didn't have much to lose so taking positive action was my choice.  I started painting, reading about painting, researching everything and anything art.  I read other people's blogs, got interested in music, reading for the joy of it and just going out to have a coffee for no reason other than I wanted some fresh air and needed a little excuse to get out for a possible hit of  magic.

 

You're all thinking, "where is she going to find magic by going out for coffee?"  Well, magic is everywhere and you have to have your eyes and more importantly, your heart, set on finding it and putting it to good use.  When I go out for coffee, I ride over to a nearby mall on my scooter.  That's magic in itself.  I'm outside on a sunny afternoon, when the truth is, without my scooter, I wouldn't be out at all.  Pure magic!  I'm outside breathing in fresh air and seeing whatever is happening out on the street.  I ride into the mall and troll through looking at new window displays, imagining what I would look like wearing some of the new fashions.  That's always good for a chuckle or two which puts me into a pretty chipper mood.  Then, just loud enough for me to hear, there is the patter of little feet on the mall floor, dancing happily behind me.  I stop slowly and look behind and find a toddler running after me to get a look at my means of transportation.  Believe me, there isn't a toddler out there than can resist running after a scooter if given the opportunity.  I love to stop, have a little chat with my new wee friend and show, that yes, I do have a horn on my ride.  I do have headlights and red rear lights.  Amazing!  We part, waving goodbye to each other, both having had a few moments of magic.  You might wonder how that can be magic, it was only an encounter with a child.  Every child is magic personified.  They believe what they want to believe because they are so open to what is happening around them.  They explore and want to know the why and how of everything.  They are overjoyed to encounter new experiences and grow with each one.  How can that not be magic?

 

Finally, I get to the coffee kiosk where most of the staff know me.  I've finessed my driving so that I can turn quite nicely into the line as it weaves its way up to the counter.  I always get a smile from the person taking my order.  There's something about taking an order from a person on a scooter that makes them smile.  I catch the twinkle of laughter in their eyes and tell them that it was so nice to lower the counter and make the kiosk into a drive through for people like me.  That always gets a big smile.  Just by stopping by for coffee, my magic scooter and I have made someone smile and taken a routine shift into something different and more fun.  Truth is, it's as much a touch of magic for me.  I'm out, on my own, enjoying a coffee and seeing what is happening in the world around me. 

 

I watch people hurrying through the concourse, wondering who they are, why they are in a hurry and imagine what their lives are like.  More than likely, they all go through the day's activities with little thought as to what might be different.  If only they looked with their heart instead of their eyes, they might feel the difference, see the magic.  It's all around you, every day of the week, but you have to consciously be open to feeling it.  Magic isn't so much what you see as what you feel.  You feel magic in an encounter with a stranger who just might turn out to be a new friend.  There's magic in every encounter.  Two or more people sharing ideas, thoughts even if only about a transaction in a vendor's premises can be such a positive part of your day.  I'm lucky and have met some really interesting people at the cash out counters.  People working there from all over the world and ready with a smile and a quick chat about the day's events.  You learn so much about others even in quick conversations.  Sometimes, if you're really open to it, it's a magical light shining right from their soul.  

 

Today is Sunday, the first day of a new week.  You have the opportunity to go about your normal routine and just live your normal life.  Or, you can open your heart, take advantage of any magic that you encounter and follow it down the path to its origin.  You might find yourself at a new art display, attending a concert of music that you wouldn't normally listen to or you might just find yourself sitting having coffee with a new friend.  It's all up to you.  You can look for the magic that's there in each and every day or you can choose to deny that it exists.  I hope you choose to live the magical life and embrace all things new, even if just new to you.  Keep making magic and it will keep you alive and more importantly, feeling alive. 

 

Have a wonderful week!  I'll try to make some magic by painting this week.  Last week, I met up with a "bug" that kept me in bed for most of the week.  I'm starting to feel like I can sit up for more than an hour at a time which is always good when one wants to paint.  LOL  The good thing is, I feel better, got more rest than usual and have again encountered some magic.  The magic is the realization that feeling good is something we all take for granted and need to work a little harder at accomplishing.  Take care of yourselves!  Find the time to rest and rejeuvenate yourself physically and mentally.  You'll feel the difference, body and soul.

 

Sincerely,  Rutheemac

 

P.S.  I'm really hoping to start working on some new projects in the next few days.  I have the ideas and need to flesh them out a bit more before putting brush to canvas.  I'll let you know as I put new pictures into the online gallery and hopefully will have some pics to share with you in Thursday's post.  While I feel that I lost a week due to being ill, maybe I gained a lot of insight into what I want to paint and accomplish artistically.  I'm going with that positive thought!  All that down time has to mean that a period of accomplishing new things is on the horizon.  There's a little more magic for you!