...MAYBE THE WORLD WAS BIG ENOUGH TO HAVE MAGIC IN IT. AND IF THERE WAS MAGIC - EVEN BAD MAGIC, AND ZACH KNEW IT WAS MORE LIKELY THAT THERE WAS BAD MAGIC THAN ANY GOOD KIND - THEN MAYBE NOT EVERYONE HAD TO HAVE A STORY LIKE HIS FATHER'S, A STORY LIKE ALL THE ADULTS HE KNEW TOLD, ONE ABOUT GROWING UP AND GROWING BITTER...
ANYTHING WAS BETTER THAN NO MAGIC AT ALL.
(Holly Black, Doll Bones)
I fought growing up as hard as I could. I didn't want to lose my dolls and my imaginary play and my Saturday afternoons of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drinking chocolate milk and watching Scooby Doo. I didn't want to let go of the magic I so truly believed in.
The magic I still believe in...and still hold onto.
Sure, it's different. I'm an adult now. (Sort of.) My magic is a little darker. (Although, to be honest, a lot of my imaginary games back then were a bit twisted anyway.) My dreams - and nightmares - are vivid and weird and leave me gasping for breath but also reaching for a pen and paper so I can capture as much as I can before real world issues intrude.
I own a wand from Harry Potter World. A caught baseball from a spring training game sits on a shelf. A mini Lego sea monster guards some signed books. The other day, my husband and I played the "What if...?" game as we ran errands, creating a person and a situation out of midair. If that's not magic, then I don't know what is.
Give yourself permission to believe in magic, to believe in it again, if you've stopped for some reason. Remind someone else that it's out there waiting. Show it to them.
And now if you'll excuse me, I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to eat, chocolate milk to drink, and a Walking Dead marathon to watch. (See, I told you I grew up.)
I may grow old, but I'll never grow up.
ReplyDeleteHaving two very young daughters keeps me believing in magic, mystery, and make-believe :) which is good, because on my own, I'd probably grow out of it... no matter how much I might not want to.
Me, too. :)
DeleteI love spending time with my niece and nephew because they're imaginations and games spur on my own. Not that I need much help.... :)
There is always magic to be found when reading a book!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Alex!
DeleteSounds like a fun day you have planned. Who doesn't like chocolate milk?
ReplyDeleteI ate pbj and drank chocolate milk for lunch almost every day when I was a kid. :)
DeleteI will always believe in magic. It is every where if you remember to look.
ReplyDeleteThat's the key - remembering to look beyond reality and see the magic. :)
DeleteI absolutely believe in it and will never stop - for I believe when we stop we allow a part of ourselves to die. Have a beautiful Monday my friend!!
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful and sad - I do think we can resurrect that part of ourselves though, if we've let it die. At least I hope so. :)
DeleteI have a wand from Harry Potter World, too. And a lovely collection of toys on my desk. I'll never grow up.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Walking Dead marathon!
Who wants to grow up? Not me! :)
DeleteLove this. I think childhood has the most magic of all :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think we can totally hold onto that childhood magic, but I think we can definitely hold onto some of it and even create some new sort of magic as we get older.
DeleteLOL. I never grew up. Seriously. I may act responsible, but I still think like I'm 16. (Did I just admit that out loud?)
ReplyDelete;)
You go have your peanut butter and jelly, and I'll got eat my cheese sandwich.
Yum! Now I want a grilled cheese sandwich.... :)
DeleteI have a feeling when I'm an adult, I'm still going to have my favorite stuffed animals on my bed. And I salute you with my wand, also from Harry Potter World. ;)
ReplyDeleteEven as an "adult", I still have some favorites animals - not on the bed, but definitely around. :)
DeleteCouldn't agree more. Growing up is highly overrated.
ReplyDeleteSo overrated. :)
DeleteI believe! But I was the opposite. I couldn't wait to grow up. I wish I hadn't been!
ReplyDeleteI think I wanted to be older only so I could stay up later. :)
DeleteI agree. I once saw a sign that said growing up is a trap. Indeed. :)
ReplyDeleteNow that's a great sign/quote. :)
DeleteI believe there's magic in our words that we use to create our stories to make them come alive.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! :)
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