It Makes a Difference If You Believe This…

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl

The BFG, a book written by Roald Dahl, is one of my son’s favorite books. My son, who is 10 years old, is right in the midst of this awkward time – where childhood no longer holds the innocence that it used to, but adulthood is just confusing and too darn serious. He can hold a long conversation with me about black holes, then stick his hand under his arm and make a fart joke with his friends.

And I love him for it.

He lives in a reality that is constantly being questioned, if only because it has to be. He is constantly learning, being taught, being encouraged. He is fortunate to be in a rich and supportive environment, but how he chooses to navigate it is completely up to him.

Moment by moment, he is choosing what he believes. Who, exactly, is Santa? Do I believe that this math stuff is important enough to spend time studying it? Do I believe mommy when she says I’m grounded if I don’t clean my room?

And as he chooses, he acts upon those beliefs.

In so doing, he is shaping his own reality.

As he grows up, I fear that he will forget the importance of his beliefs. As happens with so many of us, beliefs will become solidified into facts that are learned and tested upon. Beliefs become unquestioned and unexamined. Life hardens, there are fewer and fewer possibilities based on flexible beliefs and more and more certainties based on inflexible truths.

Of course, I wish most strongly for him what I wish for all of us….for you.

I wish that we all believe in magic.

I wish that we all “watch with glittering eyes the whole world” around us….the world that is found in the lesson plans, the dirty dishes, the eyes of a 10-year old and the eyes of a long-past-10-yr old.

The magic that is in the mundane is what is lost over our years of growing up past belief and into fact. Math is important because it leads to the grade which leads to the right school which leads to the right job. A dirty dish is something that is dirty and needs to be cleaned. And Santa? Poor santa. Belief is buried right next to him and the tooth fairy.

When we believe the world is magic, we find it in every bit of our mundane lives.

Math becomes a fascinating way in which we can view the world, a language that can be spoken across cultures. (Need some examples of how we use math in everyday life? Check out this awesome page full of Ted Talks on Math in Everyday Life! http://ed.ted.com/series/math-in-real-life )

The dishes become an intriguing way to explore our senses, or to practice mindfulness. (Have you ever examined where your thoughts go as you wash the dishes? It is quite interesting how your mood can shift based on negative thoughts that arise during those few minutes…or based on positive awareness of or gratitude for the process.)

And Santa? Well, we had “the conversation” with our son last year. (Our daughter still anxiously awaits Santa’s arrival each year, so we are treading a fine line here.) We explained to him that while the physical being of one Santa that flies around the world isn’t real, the spirit of Santa is very real. Mommy and Daddy (and many other mommies and daddies around the world) try to keep the magic of Christmas alive through the stories of Santa – imparting messages of giving and gratitude. Santa embodies these qualities, and mommy and daddy help pass them along through the stories. In this way, the belief in Santa is very important…going far beyond any one man.

The snow that falls outside of my window as I type this gives me pause –the stillness, the white color that continues to spread across the ground and trees, the misty haze in the air.

There is magic, everywhere. Right here. Right now.

Your beliefs about this magic – and about so much more – shape your reality.

May you find many moments to delight in play with each and every belief you hold…and to find a bit of magic hidden in each mundane moment.