Sunday 19 September 2010

Finding Magic In Everyday Life

Stanton Park 18 Sept 2010


There are so many reasons to be happy in this life, and there are so many miracles that happen on a daily basis and in even the most ordinary of lives. It's important that we each take the time to cherish the beauty that this world holds for us and to appreciate the magic that each new day holds. There are several things you can do to help yourself find magic in your everyday life.

Open your eyes to the beauty that lives in the world all around you. Whether it is by noticing the first rays of a new morning or seeing the fresh morning dew sparkling in the sunshine, you can begin your day enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds you. And soaking in the sight of the golden rays and pink cotton clouds of sunset can bring you a new appreciation of the natural majesty held within this world. There are numerous sights that you see throughout each day that are wonderful examples of the beauty and magic all around.

Listen carefully to the joy and peace that comes with the sounds that surround you each day. From the magic of a child's laughter to the thunderous sound of waves crashing against a sandy beach, there are sounds everywhere that can evoke rich and deep emotions within you. Maybe you like listening to thunder storms or to the sound of rain as it patters against the windows. Or maybe you love to listen to music. This world we live in is full of wonderous and enchanting sounds.

Embrace the diverse sensations that you can feel with the variety of different textures in this world and how they feel against your skin. Luxuriate in a hot, soothing bath until your skin turns pink and the tips of your fingers wrinkle. Swim in a pool and feel the cool, wet water as you glide through it. Hug your son or daughter close and feel the warmth of his or her little arms around you. Lie between silk sheets on your bed at night. There are so many wonderful things that you can touch and experience against your skin every day.

Stop to smell the roses, or for that matter, to smell anything with a rich, wonderful aroma. Different smells can evoke emotions in us as they can be associated in our minds with different memories. And some smells are just enjoyable to each of us for different reasons. Let the rich aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee help you start your day each morning. Or fill your bath with scented soap and bubbles. Bake a vanilla cake and let the scent of the vanilla fill your kitchen. There are so many ways to find the everyday magic in your sense of smell.

Taste the delightfulness that this world has to offer with a variety of different foods. From the juicy, natural sweetness of strawberries to the spicy, warm taste of a curry, your mouth has the ability to distinguish an endless variety of taste sensations. Bake some chocolate chip cookies and eat one while it's still warm. Make yourself a fruit salad full of the tangy sweetness of apples, the juicy tartness of oranges and the succulent sweetness of strawberries and other berries. Cook up and enjoy a salty and tangy chicken stir-fry. There are many different taste sensations to experience.

Pay attention to the magic and the miracles that occur in even the most ordinary lives. From the birth of a new baby to the blossoming of a flower, from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly to the golden honey created by bees, all of these things and many more are miracles and examples of the awesome magic that this world holds.

Create some miracles of your own in order to bring the magic of this world more closely into your heart. The best way to create a miracle of your own is to do something wonderful for someone else. Give someone who is feeling down a hug. Tell someone a truthful compliment. When you are at the coffee shop, anonymously pay for the person behind you in line's coffee. Buy small gifts and deliver them randomly (and anonymously) to neighbors. If you know someone who is struggling financially, slip some money through his letterbox when he isn't home, or take him out to dinner. Offer to babysit for a tired mom who doesn't get out much. There are a myriad of ways to create your own miracles, and the magic of it is that the more miracles you create, the more you want to create, and the miracles that you create for others have a far-reaching effect in that those people tend to pass them on with new miracles for others.

This beautiful world that we all live in is full of magic and wonder. All it takes is to let yourself perceive the magic and the beauty that is all aorund you.

4 comments:

  1. This is such a wonderful post, especially the way that you've described finding magical experiences in everyday life through our senses.
    Everyone is so busy in their own lives that we forget to stop and smell the roses sometimes. Thanks for the reminder to enjoy every single day and acknowledge the magic that surrounds us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Rebecca,
    I love your inspiring Post about parents leading their children by example. I bet your children are very proud of you ...Karen :))

    ReplyDelete
  3. Advert for a new book on such a similar subject...
    'Old Magic in Everyday Life' by Mhairi Simon

    It's about the magic she met as a child in Scotland, where the old ways of country life were competing with the new technology, new society and new opportunities.

    Stories of horse husbandry, animal healing and growing up with extraordinary abilities with living creatures are mixed delightfully with humour, questions and opinions. Moving beyond mere history, she offers the possibility that many people could do more than they think, connecting to the natural world and exerting more influence for good.

    In a journey around the spiritual aspect of life, she compares traditional with modern, scientific with intuitive, consumerism with consideration. Her great honesty offers many chances for the reader to say “Yes I wondered that too”, to question whether the world has to be the way it is, and to find new answers for personal progress. She ends up with a collection of exercises to help anyone who wishes to explore their inner being to re-find their natural place in the world.

    At the meeting point of two cultures where life and death, progress and stability, and identity and anxiety all swirl and mingle, she has an opportunity to be more than a just a bridge...

    more details at www.vavsimonbooks.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing this deeply moving post, Rebecca.
    We get so busy with life that we often forget to live it every day.
    We search for beauty and wonders. But if we allow ourselves to feel,look and listen we find our everyday lives are filled with wonders,beauty and magic.
    Just as you pointed out! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete