Spending time with small children is a great way to infuse magic into one’s everyday life.
I remember Z’s early childhood days so clearly and fondly that it feels like they only just ended. Watching baby Zoe learn and discover the world around her through play and exploration every day was nothing short of awe-inspiring and magical. I treasured those moments.
But what are those of us with teenagers to do? How can we capture a bit of everyday magic and bring it into our lives?
I have ideas. While being close to a baby is like tapping straight into the divine, there are other ways to get there. Music, nature and art can put us within reach of magic and the heavens, too.
I feel lucky to have established a pretty good sky-watching habit. Staring at the sky any time of day or night is one of my favorite ways to feel that divine, magical spark. Here are some additional ideas:
- Go stargazing. Take binoculars out into the countryside at night, find a nice dark spot and stare up at the stars. You could even visit a night-sky observatory like Perkins Observatory here in Delaware County.
- Catch a sunrise. Get up before the sun and go watch the sunrise over east-facing water (at least 30 mins before it comes up until 10 minutes after). There’s nothing like sunrise over water – it’s awe-inspiring and fills your day with magic!
- Chase the sunset. Go to a pretty location that faces west and watch the sunset for at least 10 minutes before it goes down and 20-30 minutes after. Ideally, this will be a location with a large body of water, but honestly even creeks and puddles look great at sunset.
- Listen to beauty. Go see a gorgeous piece of classical music performed live by a symphony orchestra. If you’re in the vicinity of a Broadway musical and can swing the ticket price, that’s another good alternative here. Live performances that give you chills are a direct route to magic!
- Stare at beauty. Walk through a world-class art museum and really take your time with each piece. You could also go to a particularly special garden and admire beautiful flowers, go hiking to a gorgeous waterfall, or go to the cinema and watch a moving and beautiful film. Art, architecture and nature can all bring magic to our everyday lives.
Best of all, don’t look at your phone even once the entire time you do these things. If you’re like me, you’ll probably want to use your phone to take photos – but other than that, try not to look at it.
If there’s one thing I’ve realized, it’s that our phones are not conduits to magic; rather, they are magic blockers. The REAL magic happens off our phones, out in the real world, every day. It’s up to us to use our smart phones for the amazing technological advancements they are, and then put them down to let the real magic happen. Balance is key.
Let me know if you have other favorite ways to access magic and the divine in your life!
