Little Magics

Little Magics is a list of all the little magics I see each day. Enjoy. 

[littlemagics]

Friends holding space. Messages from the other side. A crack in the armor. A tiny sliver of light in the dark. A message from the magazine. How it all ties together. Pre-made soup for a weary body.

[littlemagics]

I read a book about a magic encounter with orchids. I fell to me knees in the chapel and let it all out. I curled up in the corner. The lights came on. I stood in front of the altar. I lit a candle. Next to the candle was an orchid.

[littlemagics]

Today I saw a guy walking briskly down the street with his cell phone held to his chest blaring Old Time Rock and Roll and singing to it and it struck me as perfect. Perfectly human. Perfectly free. Perfectly normal. Perfectly present.

[littlemagics]

I haven't posted in a while. I think it's because I get so caught up in whether or not a thing is a Little Magic or a Gratitude or a Glimmer or Some Other Thing and then I leave it be. But today I went down to the River and it's been a few weeks since I went down to the River and what I saw there and sat with and experienced and was honored to witness down at the River was all of this and all of the Little Magics in between all of this. One Great Blue Heron One Bald Eagle One Kingfisher who tried to land a meal twice Two Ducks of an unknown variety Two Green Herons Three Dragonflies Countless Damselflies A bright shiny emerald green Beetle A Spider A leaf caught in a Spider's web Stairs to another world An Artist hard at work Dappled shade Signs A Bank(?) Swallow Medicine Families A Disco Ball Shine under a Log Grandmother Beech's children getting tall in the bright Sun My own Exhale

[littlemagics]

Pasta sauce that turns out juuuuust right. Having just the right amount of space to fit a thing into (books on a shelf, plants in a garden, images on a collage, etc)  Returning books that were borrowed long ago and the satisfaction at having completed that long-term task along with the joy it brings the person who is on the receiving end. People who share photos of their blooming flowers on the socials for the rest of the world to see. Blooms everywhere! Friends who help each other with hard tasks. Noticing children noticing little magics. Tiny hands putting things in and then out and then in and then out again. Laying face to face on a picnic blanket in the sun with the one you love and describing each others’ eye colors. Scissors for people with nerve damage. Buy nothing groups.

#pasta

#space

#borrowers

#blooms

#hardthings

#noticing

#toddlers

#irises

#accomodation

#buy nothing

[littlemagics]

People who still have their xmas decorations up. I see you, my people.  New songs that bring me to tears.  Talking about feelings with kids.  Ride or die homies.  Spirals. Intergenerational friendships.  Ghandi. Art as a career choice.  Vacuums.  Neighbors who care.  Facebook marketplace gestures of kindness.  Hot water bottles. Building together. 

[littlemagics]

My Dad.  This peace.  Gadgets.  Delicious food.  Spring water.  The sound of the rain dripping from the broken spouting into the bucket out back, the sound of home and rest. Redefining community.  New friends.  Networking.  Free stuff.  Books.  Homemade play dough.  New beginnings. Trust.  The way candles allow us to bring fire inside when it’s raining outside.  Dancing in the dark.

[littlemagics]

Planting seeds.  Seeing familiar faces in unfamiliar places. Neighbors delivering gifts to neighbors.  The trust of an open door. Small world moments.  The magnitude of having people who people who have your back. Fresh starts and new beginnings.  Getting presents from your kids.  Working through hard stuff with your kids.  The graceful bending of the willow in the wind storm. How she dances and lets it huff and puff right on by.  The winds of change.  Grateful memories of ancestors and their living presence now.  Sweet sleepy breaths next to me. 

[littlemagics]

Christmas lights.  Christmas carols.  Hot soup in a thermos.  New projects.  Being with my kids.  Hearing my kids talk about the things that are important to them.  Whispers to Santa.  Physical movement.  Play.  Sleepyheads.  Holding hands while falling asleep. 

[littlemagics]

My ability to make things appear out of thin air. Funny memes. The wide-open heart of this five year old magic maker I get the privilege to grow with.  The strong heart and quick wit of this old scorpion I get the privilege to learn with and from.  Softness.  The way electrical current flows all around and makes things work in a multitude of ways.  The Willow and her bending guidance.  Wise friends who’ve been there.  Trying new things.  Strangers who trust each other based on the word of a mutual friend.   

[littlemagics]

My dad is helping me build a mural wall and today we met at Home Depot to get the supplies together and he answered every single question I had about all the random things without making me feel weird for asking them.  I ran into a friend I haven’t seen in a while at the Home Depot and the connection was invigorating and brought me hope.  This kid and I drove for two hours in the car and narrated made-up stories to each other the whole time. One chapter at a time, taking turns. I met with some kind people who offer their professional services for free.  My Christmas cactus is blooming and she is so bright!  I’ve been making the best left-over combos lately and knocking my easy meal game out the park! I connected with an old friend who I thought I wouldn’t ever talk to again.  My dentist is the most gentle dentist there is. Hands down. He could win a contest.  Post-breakfast ukulele jam sesh and sing-along time. 

[littlemagics]

Sharing the magic of advent with my little one.  The magic of advent.  Inspirational memes.  Powerful healing dreams.  Again with the brave emails.  Flexible schedulers.  Animal activists.  My collection of Christmas tree ornaments that hold an infinite well of memories, heartbreak, love, and magic.  The vast imagination of a five year old.  Hearing about all the things my five year old enjoyed today while we were apart.  Watching classic films with my big kid.  Helping new friends. 

[littlemagics]

Decorating the tree with a little one who is still little enough to forget doing it last year, so each year is the first time again and again.  Meeting mamas who are feeling the same pain and getting to share a little bit of the load for a moment.  Watching a kiddo spot deer in the woods and get excited to show her little brother.  Trees that I know personally.  Talking to people who do what I dream of and getting advice on how to do it too.  Friends who help me sort my brain thoughts out into words on paper.  Heated car seats. Learning new internet things.  Sending brave emails and the relief after hitting send.  Knowing how to fix a thing when it breaks.  Friends who fix things when I can’t. 

[littlemagics]

Puppet shows. Friends who feel deeply.  Delicious healing food.  People who call me back. Watching a 5 year old progress in their swimming interest and abilities.  Milkweed fluff snow squalls.  Willow branch crafting.  Imaginative play that includes character voices.  Journaling prompts. Peaceful music.  Being with my people.

[littlemagics]

A warm, snuggly rascal telling me all about their plans for the day. The sounds that come out of a five year old who is running after a pumpkin rolling down a hill.  Intricately detailed bedtime stories of dreams in space and ice worlds.  Snacks and laughing late at night with a big kid.  People who tell me their troubles and I get to listen and love them through it.  The warm glow of the lights on the front porch. Video baby monitors.  Sandboxes, mud, and creeks so tiny you can jump back and forth across them. The medicine of physical touch. Community service with joy.  Being recognized for hard work.  People celebrating their sobriety milestones with pride.  Go-to people to provide job references.  Artist calls.  My parents are alive. 

[littlemagics]

Ride or die friends.  Old bridges that still hold up and building new ones.  Public transportation.  Calendars. Parents who are there for their adult children. Marble games. Breakfast on the porch with el gato negro. Friends who let you borrow their gear when yours doesn’t work. Forums on the internet where people have compiled lists of all the things you need to help you figure out how things work.  Stephen Buhner and his life’s work.  Herbs that volunteer in the backyard and go on healing you and providing their sunshine lovin even through the cold winter months.  A five year old who is tickled to pieces over words in books. 

[littlemagics]

The power of people who come together and practice time and time again in order to perfect a show that they then show to a world of strangers on a stage, their chests pounding and their bodies pumping adrenaline, their minds and hearts free flowing with the movements as the audience sits in wonder and listens to their feet glide and sees their dreams coming true in real time.  Repeating comforting joy-filled traditions with your offspring and parent.  Giddy kids and the way they light up like fireworks when they are united with a new friend.  Sleepovers and silly game giggles.  Unexpectedly running in to people you’ve been trying to get in touch with and they are delighted to see you too.  Warm hugs from old friends.  Getting to share my knowledge and love of healing plants with others. Writing letters to Santa.  The deep comfort of a singing bowl’s song.  Sharing advent candle ritual and prayer with my little one.  Hanging stockings with care.  Decorating a bit differently each year, while keeping close-to-my-heart traditions going. Kid jokes.  Loving neighbors who see and connect and check up on one another.  People who know how to do things that I can’t do and are passionate about them.  The survival and tenacity of special trinkets that span generations and outlast countless upheavals. What stories they could tell and power they wield.  Listening.  Rocking my child to sleep, knowing they are safe and sound in this moment in this time and space.