I had a particularly memorable work from home day earlier in the week. One of our neighbours had donated a wrought iron table and four chairs which were placed in the middle of our shared garden in our apartment building. It was an unusually cool day for Mumbai (around 19C or 66F!) and looking at the garden from my balcony I was drawn into using the table as my office for the day. I’m not sure why I even initially hesitated because it turned out to be one of the best days I’ve had in a while.
My day was peppered with magical moments throughout the day.
Walking barefoot on the grass between calls. Grounding is great for your health.
Listening to the chirping of the kites, the crows and the sparrows that make our neighbourhood their home.
Staring into the greenery all around. It helped my brain work better.
Appreciating the deep red colour of poinsettia blooming outdoors.
Reaching for fewer snacks and drinking fewer cups of tea. Hunger pangs gone.
Stopping to smell the roses. Literally.
Plucking a basil leaf, crushing it and having its spicy aroma fill my senses.
Being mesmerised by the flapping of the wings of a common crow butterfly as it fed on the nectar of a plant in our garden.
Enjoying every sip of my natural water.
Breathing in fresh air all day.
Through the course of the day I had several “beauty emergencies”, a term used by authour Maggie Smith in her poignant book Keep Moving to refer to “moments of sudden fleeting magic - one of those things you have to look at now before it’s gone.”
It made me wonder how often I’m harvesting these moments of pure beauty that give me so much joy and remind me of the preciousness of life. Here today. Gone tomorrow.
Am I too busy on the treadmill of success? Grinding away. For what end?
Moments of magic need not be harvested outdoors or in nature alone.
They are to be found everywhere and in every moment of our lives. If we only look closely.
It could be the joy of grinding your coffee beans and making fresh coffee in the morning.
It could be the joy of chanting your mantras while doing your suryanamaskars.
It could be the joy of inside jokes you share with one of your family members.
It could be the joy of listening to a piece of music that emotionally moves you.
It could be the joy of vegetable shopping for the perfect baingans for your baingan bartha.
It could be the joy of freshly shaved parmesan on the pasta you whip up for dinner.
The possibilities are endless. But are we looking and appreciating and enjoying every magical moment to the fullest to give us immense satisfaction and joy?
I invite you to be more aware of the magic around you. Get out out your head and into the world. Consciously look for opportunities to slow down, stop everything you are doing, be fully present in the moment and relish every second for it will be gone before you know it or before you may not have the good health to enjoy it.
Over to you now:
What was the most recent magical moment you experienced? Close your eyes. Relive every detail as vividly as you can. Stay with the memory for a few minutes. Carry the feeling with you into your day.
Are some days more prone to providing opportunities for magic to appear? What activities might you intentionally engage in to invite more moments of arresting beauty into your day?
Do you have a journal in which you record your magical moments? It could be a great mood booster to return to this happy place whenever you feel low.