I have a quick story to share today about magic…
This past Monday, I began my day with exhaustion, tension, and feeling anxious about getting my tasks done. I had wanted to start the week upbeat, but negativity was taking over. My pusher (task master) inside was reminding me in its officious tone, “You have a giant load of tasks and a short week in which to do them, so hurry, Connie, hurry! Get that darned breakfast made, eat up, and get to work! And why did you make a coffee date for a Monday morning?? You’ll never meet your deadlines!”
As I sat down at my desk with my breakfast, I looked over at my vision board hanging on the wall next to me. It’s my practice now to look at it as I start my day to see what calls to me. This Monday morning it was the words,
“Creating Every Magical Moment.”
The words were such a simple and beautiful reminder that I can create any type of day I want, no matter what happens. I can follow the dark, dense trail of negativity or I can choose to seek out and dance with magic, which is always there waiting for me.
My coffee date with my dear friend was just what I needed, though as I walked out the door, I heard my pusher still trying to catch me up.
But here’s where the magic happened… I went from saying to myself, “I should be working,” to “I should BE!” End of sentence.
It feels so good to stop the doing sometimes, even on busy days, to just be. My friend and I had a deep conversation about life, work, letting go, and creating our magical moments since who knows how long we’ll be alive? Our time together was nurturing and supportive and, surprise surprise, helped me get my work tasks done with a light heart and a lot of joy. And I was of course way more productive than if I’d stayed home trying to work with my anxiety and negativity!
I ended Monday going on a hike overlooking the shimmering San Francisco Bay. It was a truly magical evening. As I walked back up and over the hill to my car, I had to stop and take a photo in the vetch and the rattlesnake grasses, plants that reminds me of my childhood growing up in the country. (I chose this wacky image because I love the shadows of the grasses on my face—no separation with nature!) And the smells, oh the smells! Hot grass and dirt—heaven for the country girl in me!
Transformation Happens in the Moment...
This morning, as I stood in the shower trying to wake up, I realized that the magic happens by staying conscious in every moment as much as I can, no matter what’s happening.
There were a few things my mind was trying to resist today. It likes to think if I fuss enough, I can change reality! Haha! There was a difficult, sad moment in caring for my mom from the night before that was still lingering; my husband’s back went out again this morning and I could feel myself wanting to say, “Why haven’t you done x, y, and z yet to take care of it?” instead of, “I’m sorry that happened. Can I get you some ice?”
But because I was still pondering the idea that I have the power to create every magical moment, I paused before speaking and chose to accept what was hard instead of trying to resist. In doing so, I felt myself soften and allowed the kinder, gentler, healing spaces in me take over. Instead of blaming Jim, my words to him were kind and compassionate. And I remembered that I’m grieving daily watching my mom’s brilliant brain disappear and her body struggle, and was able to feel compassion and love for both of us instead of frustration.
This moment is when magic happens. And in this moment, and… in every single moment of our lives.
It’s the moments that makeup my precious life. The choice is always there to stay conscious and allow struggle to pass through. I always come back to psychologist Viktor Frankl’s quote when I need help letting go:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
—Viktor Frankl, MD, PHD
And here’s the best and most freeing part of it all… I know I’ll have many moments on many days where I'll get lost in fussing and negativity, but even on those days, magic will always be waiting for me, giving me nudges towards the light.
The beauty of forgetting is that we can always remember :) So I don’t pretend after days like Monday and this morning that I’ll always find the magic in each moment, but I'll certainly try!
All my love,
Connie
P.S. I also want to make it clear that I give myself plenty of moments to cry and get mad and feel the frustrations and sorrows of life! I definitely want and need to cycle through the darkness. But it's the fussing and resistance that don't serve me and what I'm allowing magic to help me release. And to me, this is FREEDOM!