Tiny Bits of Magic!

   Most folks who know me have serious doubts about my sanity, I am sure.  I tend to live in "my own little world" and block out the woes of the world.  People take things far too seriously and never allow themselves to cut loose and dwell in a fantasy land for a while.  Maybe I am totally wrong on this.  Perhaps others live in a fantasy world full of strife, conspiracy theories and unrest.  Maybe...just maybe...my Bayou is the "real world" and here is where real life takes place.  Then again...there are those who have doubts....which is fine by me because I do not have to be bothered with inane problems that can never be solved.  Mysteries...on the other hand...do not NEED to be solved!  They need to be enjoyed for what they are and that is it.  Mysteries and magic of the Bayou are all it takes.

  On my hikes about the place, I can find endless mysteries and copious amounts of pure magic.  (That is another fallacy being spread about.  Most say that magic has to be made.  Nope...it happens.  It just happens and is there for the fortunate to find and enjoy.)  This morning led me far down behind the canebrake where I was in hopes of finding mosses and ferns still intact after our bout of freezing weather.  The mosses were fine but the fern fronds were brown and withered.  This saddened me as the creek bed is one of the few places left wild.  It is full of magical happenings there!

  One point of beauty simply was found underfoot.  Fairy Footprints!  Yep, those tiny, white flowers were popping up everywhere!  These are some of the first wildflowers to bloom each year after winter starts to wane.  They do not seem to mind overnight frost as long as the days warm.  In fact, they do not even mind the shady nooks of the creek bed...those places overshadowed by underbrush or leafy oaks.  This groundcover is also often called Roundleaf Bluets or simply Innocence.  I call it magic for no other reason than the smile the blooms can bring to the face and the joy to the heart.  Find your magic, folks.  Find it...I promise, it is not something that needs to be made...it is already there.

Those Magical, Purple Skies!

  As is my habit, I was up before the sun even thought about peeping over the pines on the far side of the Bayou. This is "me time".  It is the time when I can collect my thoughts without interruption.  It is the time when I can soak in as much tranquility as the Bayou can muster.  This time is usually spent alone as the menfolk in the household are still fast asleep but, lately, Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, has been joining me.  He and I sit on the pier and stare eastward at the kaleidoscopic colors of the breaking dawn.  We sit quietly enjoying our togetherness.  We both can "feel" the beauty deep down in our souls.  He is a good cat.

  While this morning offered not a gorgeous sunrise due to the heavy fog, yesterday morning was quite different.  The whole eastern sky was on a temperature scale ranging from the palest of yellows to the deepest of purples.  (Those who crochet will grasp the reference to "temperature scale".  Everyone else...use your imagination.) The purple is what was the most stunning.  At one point the entire sky was purple except for a wee yellow line on the horizon.  This purple is not that rare of an occurrence.  You just have to be there at the right time.  The purple is caused by a temperature change in the upper part of the atmosphere during certain times of the year.  It seems that cooler air reflects the sun's light in different ways and makes the sky appear purple at times. Works for me.  

  Speaking of change, if you are so inclined to believe things, that purple sky can be seen as a harbinger of greater change in life.  A natural phenomenon can bring vast change in the way we see things or how we deal with things.  If a purple sky brings you joy, then sit back and enjoy it for it will be a fleeting thing.  Then ponder if there is anything YOU can do to change what needs to be amended.  Life is good...you may as well let it be magical.

  

Hurricane "Gemstones"

  After any storm (especially hurricanes), you can expect to find any number of items in the yard and marsh.  The tidal surge washes in new stuff from across the way and old stuff that has been deep in the marsh from storms past.  When the winds are from the right direction and the surge is pounding, whatever gets caught up in the turmoil is deposited on our place.  Sometimes, even treasures can be found!  This morning, I found such a treasure that rode the winds of Hurricane Zeta.

  Down along the marsh edge, there are any number of scraggly oaks, bay trees and salt myrtles.  Most of these are low-growing and catch the brunt of both wind and surge.  At daybreak, I was meandering the shoreline on a daily hike.  As the sun rose over the pines on the opposite side of the Bayou, bright beams were being shot through the tree limbs.  Suddenly, the sun was at the right angle and I was in the right spot to reveal one of the treasures.  A bright blue gleam among the tree limbs caught my eye.  I figured it was hurricane debris but had no idea just what had hung up in the tree until I squirmed my way through the underbrush. 

  A shred of blue plastic had snagged onto a twig and held on throughout the storm.  Somehow, it did not tear any further and so remained in place.  The sunbeams passing through the plastic made it look like a bright gemstone.  There was my "treasure"!  While I realize the plastic is worthless and is an eyesore during most of the day, in the morning, it gives me a much needed smile.  For a few moments, I am not standing in the midst of debris, the stench is not overbearing and the hillside does not look in shambles.  With the blue "gemstone" hanging in the treetop and being backlit by the sunbeams, I am in a wondrous place where life is good and all things are happy.  Folks, look for the gemstones in the midst of the chaos going on in the world...even if those gemstones are only momentarily there and are tiny shreds of plastic.  Be happy.  Find the magic.

Magical Mornings

  There is magic to be found in just about everything.  Life in itself is magical.  It is my thought that magic is anything that is unexplained or unexpected.  I have learned a long time ago that you cannot go about life fretting what others think as it is up to you to make life magical.  I live that way now.  Each day proves that my idea is correct.

  At daybreak this morning, I ventured out into the gardens.  The air smelled fresh due to the recent rains and the ground was still wet enough to muffle any footsteps.  The pair of cardinals were patiently waiting for breakfast and the frogs were still in the midst of their serenading of the night before.  It seemed to be a perfect morning and that all was right with the world...at least, it is all right in my little paradise.  Just outside the garden gate, the Althea bush had lovely blooms that were opening with the rising sun.  Their bright lavender petals and burgundy centers were absolutely breathtaking.  These blooms have always been special as the bush has "family ties".  It started as a cutting from my grandparent's place.  I eased my way to inspect the blooms and, to my surprise, found a dragonfly wing inside of one blossom.  Well, that was strange!  Of course, there was probably an ordinary explanation but finding the wing placed so perfectly inside the petal made it magical to me.

  Had Aunt Helen been on this stroll with me, she and I would have immediately proclaimed that a faerie had gotten new wings and left the old one as proof of her existence.  Maybe?  When Aunt Helen was alive, she and I could let our imaginations run amok.  Fantastical tales could be woven on a mere find as the one this morning.  

  Folks, sometimes it is important to let go of the worries of the world and find your own magic. It is out there.  Look for it.  Perhaps the "magic" was not in finding a dragonfly wing nor the lovely Althea bloom.  Perhaps it was in being free enough in my own mind to view it as such.  Finding beauty in mundane things is a gift.  Finding magic in everything is, too.