Growing up, "Harry Potter" was my bible. I lived in the stories as I read them and with every word I fell more deeply in love with the magic of that world. I’ll never forget turning the last page of the final book in the series; I remember a sense of dread, like the magic was over.
I have always been to drawn to stories with magic, and I am not alone. People everywhere are hypnotized by witches and wizards, flying carpets, true love’s kisses, ruby slippers and worlds inside of wardrobes. I think we, as humans, are addicted to these kinds of fairytales for the same reason we are addicted to things like drugs and alcohol- because they help take us away from the reality of this world. They allow us, even if just for a moment, to live in a different reality, one where the grievances of real life can’t haunt us. The problem is this; once we close that book, once the movie credits roll, once we grow out of the fairytales and grow too old for the stories, where can we find the magic?
It can be hard to find the wonder in a world so chaotic. For us, there is no rewind and there is no re-read. There’s no potion to cure heartbreak, no spell to ease mourning, no genie in a bottle to grant our wishes and no prince charming to come and save the day. In our world, villains get away unscathed and there is no such thing as pure, unadulterated happily ever after.
What we need to realize, though, is that although there is no magic like the kind in "Harry Potter" or in Disney movies, there is a different, more real kind, and it is everywhere. W.B Yeats once said, “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” And, he’s right. When we take a moment to truly look at the world around us, we can feel it. When we hear the heart beating in the chest of someone that we love, that is magic. When we see the perfect curve of the horizon on the open ocean, that is magic. That first day when we walk outside in October and can smell the change of the seasons, that is magic. When we stick out our tongues taste the cool rain as it falls from the heavens, that is magic. When we lose ourselves in books, that is magic. When we are proud of our accomplishments, when we tell the truth, when we love and when we are loved, that is magic. When we feel our feet on the ground and truly understand and appreciate how amazing it is that we are here, living in this moment at this moment; that is magic.
The real difference between story-book magic and real-world magic is this; while story-book magic can help you escape your real life, real-world magic can help you embrace it. I still enjoy stories about magic as much as I did when I was younger. They still intrigue me and enthrall me. However, I don’t feel sad when the stories end anymore because I know that the magic isn’t over. Magic is everywhere. It always has been, and it always will be.
