Life is enchanting. It’s bewildering. It’s confusing. It’s wonderful. I could go on and create a whole blog by using different synonyms to describe Life, the creative force that often throws nasty curveballs our way, but it would be beside the point. The reason for my post today is about letting enchantment back into our lives.
Why do we need enchantment in our lives? You may ask. Every time, my answer will be: “look around you.” We have collectively fallen into a hole made of productivity, dividends, chase for profit, paying the rent/mortgage, and other mind-numbing tasks that take us further away from the enchantment needed to live a full life. Our lives are geared towards wanting more — more money, more comfort, more house, etc. But letting oneself be enchanted means slowing down, taking the time to see, and hear, and feel Life happening around us. When we come to appreciate life for what it truly is, a constantly changing series of events, it becomes easier to stop and smell the roses, as the saying goes.
Enchantment has many sources, there’s no recipe to follow. For me, it means walking to my destination when possible. Walking is such a slow way to get somewhere that I have plenty of time to see events unfold before my eyes. Like seeing two squirrels bickering over a nut, or watch a bird working on its nest, or listening to the song of a group of daycare children out for a walk. When I notice these events, it helps to put things in perspective, it helps to notice the magic happening all around me.
This week, I urge you to find your secret sauce. Find that thing you do that lets your mind wander and take in the feelings and sensations those moments create in your soul. This will work twofold. First, by letting your mind wander, it will rest and ignore elements that don’t need immediate attention. After an enchanted moment, you will feel replenished, mentally rested. Secondly, having an enchanted moment will, on occasion, provoke a eureka moment and solve an old problem or have a great new idea.
To finish, here’s a little poem to hopefully encourage you to look for enchantment in your life.
I need to move, time for a walk.
The air fills my lungs, the sun warms my skin.
A squirrel asks for a nut, I decline, it walks away.
A man has a story to tell, I listen.
The wind rises, caressing my skin.
I let it push me in its direction.
I come up to a church where a funeral is underway.
I hear a caw and look up; a crow is perched on the bell tower.
The coffin is carried out of the church. I stop to respect the ceremony.
The crow caws. It glides down and swoops by the coffin.
It flies away, still cawing, loudly, carrying the soul to the heavens.
The coffin is placed in the hearse.
I walk away.
This isn’t as much a poem as it shows a moment that happened one day some years ago when I took a walk to clear my mind. That was the day I realized that if we are alert and present, magical moments will happen.
That’s it for now, have a great week everyone!
Mike
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