Mason: Dad, there’s no real magic in the world, right?
Dad: What do you mean?
Mason: You know, like elves and stuff. People just made that up.
Dad: Oh, I don’t know. I mean, what makes you think that elves are any more magical than something like a whale? You know what I mean? What if I told you a story about how underneath the ocean, there was this giant sea mammal that used sonar and sang songs and it was so big that its heart was the size of a car and you could crawl through the arteries? I mean, you’d think that was pretty magical right?
— Boyhood
If you really think about it, magic exists all around us in the regular, everyday things. I could list them for pages — trees, medicine, lungs, memories. Gravity. But we’d rather try to believe in fairy dust and spell books because there has always been a kind of aching attached to the improbable. “What if” is addictive, inspiring. An escape.
But I think reality can be just as fascinating, if we let it.
As much as I wish there were wands and crystal balls, I wouldn’t trade the stars. The way a song can make me feel. The ocean. Rain. Language. Maybe astonishing isn’t as fictional as we think. Our bodies slow to almost a stop during sleep. We fall in love with complete strangers. We travel to the moon. We give birth.
What a wild thing to be able to believe in such unlikely truths.
Maybe, in a way, every morning begins with “Once upon a time…” after all. And that’s as remarkable as whatever we came up with as kids playing pretend. Charm doesn’t have to be invented or falsified or created from thin air — I think the captivating, inexplicable stuff is already right here.
Letting our hearts have a capacity for the impossible might be the treasure map we’ve always craved.
And you’d be surprised by how extraordinary this moment can be if you dwell in the allure of normalcy and pursue an appreciation for the commonplace. Letting our hearts have a capacity for the impossible might be the treasure map we’ve always craved.
So, don’t limit yourself to fables and comics and the stories Disney princesses tell you. Open your mind to the typical, familiar entities that make up your truth. There’s a mystical side to all of this glistening in our peripheral vision, waiting to be noticed.
If you look close enough, you’re destined to be awestruck.
What kind of everyday magic would you hesitate to trade?
Image via Chelsie Autumn Photography
18 comments
Beautiful & so true. Thanks for this reminder! How wonderful would it be if we started all days with this kind of fascination!
I couldn’t agree more! It’s so easy to wake up and see the same things as dull and ordinary but when you stop and look a little harder it’s the easiest thing in the world to recognize the magic! Thank you so much for reading and saying such sweet things about this piece x
I think it’s gr8 could u summarize it ?
wow. so lovely.
Thank you so much Franci, I think you’re lovely for taking the time to read and say so x
This post is absolutely fantastic. A beautiful perspective, beautifully written. Thank you!
Thank you so much Hannah! You’re making my night over here with your sweet words of encouragement. So happy you found a little magic in mine x
Wow. This article was very simple and short, yet very powerful. Cheers to the magic that we chose to take the time to see in our everyday lives. Today I was reminded to think of all the miraculous things around us. In my everyday, busy life, I forget to stop and take a look around at the magic that has been created for us to enjoy.
Thank you so much Paige! I appreciate you taking the time to read this piece and that it inspired you to take the time to notice the enchantment each day brings x
Ooh, one last thought. How about the magic of forgiveness? True grace is otherworldly. We struggle to understand grace, to give it and to accept it. It feels weird because it’s so unnatural to us. Human nature ‘n’ all. And when true forgiveness does take place? It’s like magic. It doesn’t make sense. It’s unfathomable, just like a spell. But it’s beautiful.
Wow Anna these thoughts are so intriguing! The abstract nature of existence–the way we feel and can be so deeply impacted by others–might be the most fascinating of all. Our emotional reactions are intangible and unmeasurable yet hold the most power. Exactly like an incantation x
I think about this all the time! Love that someone else sees it this way. Of course, I will always adore faerie dust and fauns and Neverland, but life – real life – truly IS magical (the human body? the perfection of flowers? the size of the galaxy??), if only we have the perspective to see it.
What fantastic wordsmithing! Excellent, excellent article, I truly enjoyed it…and then I found “do the stars know about us,” which is also full of fantastic wordsmithing. Just so you know.
Thank you, Grace! Compliments like this bring magic to my day. I sincerely appreciate the way you’ve allowed your heart to be impacted by my words. If I had a fairy godmother that’s all I’d hope for–the chance to inspire through pages x
This is beautiful. Yes, there’s magic in the everyday! And sometimes the magic of the improbable – faerie dust and elves – helps us better see the magic of the improbable real. I just saw “Cinderella” yesterday; I was reminded by the magic of that world of the magic of ours – the beautiful golden light that picks up floating dust, the light airiness of butterflies, the glory of a real smile. Lovely post and lovely thoughts. Thank you reminding us to see “ordinary” magic! 🙂
I love the idea of comparison you brought up here! Just as light cannot be appreciated without darkness, magic cannot be realized without the mundane. And maybe once we distinguish that separation we can come to realize their similarities. Thank you so much for reading! P.S. I think I need to go see Cinderella now! x
This is absolutely beautiful and so true! Finding the extraordinary in everyday life is the best way to live. Although it is sometimes hard to do, no doubt it is necessary to live a charmed life.
Alyssa J Freitas
Alyssa, thank you so much for your kind words! I agree it’s not always easy to notice the common things because we’re always seeing them, but another magical aspect of being human is the way we identify with familiarity. So happy you found this piece and hope it reminded you of the way your day holds enchantment x