“The secret of genius is to carry the Spirit of the child into old age,
which means never losing your enthusiasm.” Aldous Huxley
We’ve all had the feeling of excitement of the new relationship, job, car, house- fill in the blank. At first, you are PASSIONATE, ENERGIZED, EXCITED! Life seems hyper-focused and magical! What is it that causes that to happen? And more importantly, what do we do when that magic disappears? When the sexy wears off?? Because, whether it’s the new job, relationship, WHATEVER, it WILL happen. Eventually the sexy wears off and we are left feeling bored, tired, uninspired. Humdrum even. The juice that was once there is gone.
So, the real question is- how do we keep the enthusiasm and joy in our everyday life? Is it even possible? It was definitely easier when my kids were younger. When your children are young you tend to view the world through their eyes. Everything is new. Around every corner is an adventure, something new to examine. And that’s exciting! Their curiosity seems unquenchable. There is so much to discover in a largely unexamined world. This sense of wonder, passion, and adventure is what keeps the magic going!
Disney, some would argue, is the most magical place on earth. You certainly can’t argue the creativity and imagination that went into everything that Walt Disney produced. Growing up in South Florida I spent many family vacations at Disney World. Naturally, when my own kids were young we took several trips to Disney World & Epcot. I can recollect a time standing at Epcot absolutely mesmerized by the street magicians and their trickery as they drew in the crowd and then captured us all one by one, keeping us spellbound with their show.
We are all enchanted by magic. I think that’s why JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series was so wildly popular. It was just so fantastical! You just didn’t know what was going to happen next! So what stirs up the magic in YOU? Music? Painting? Dancing? Surfing? Cooking? Hiking? Gardening? Reading? We all lose ourselves in SOMETHING! I believe the trick is in making time for those creative outlets that we love!
There was a rock band that was popular back in the ’60s called The Lovin Spoonful. Their first single was called “Do You Believe In Magic.”
Here are the lyrics:
Do you believe in magic in a young girl's heart
How the music can free her, whenever it starts
And it's magic, if the music is groovy
It makes you feel happy like an old-time movie
I'll tell you about the magic, and it'll free your soul
But it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll
If you believe in magic don't bother to choose
If it's jug band music or rhythm and blues
Just go and listen it'll start with a smile
It won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try
Your feet start tapping and you can't seem to find
How you got there, so just blow your mind
If you believe in magic, come along with me
We'll dance until morning 'til there's just you and me
And maybe, if the music is right
I'll meet you tomorrow, sort of late at night
And we'll go dancing, baby, then you'll see
How the magic's in the music and the music's in me
"That’s the real trouble with the world. Too many people grow up." Walt Disney
I believe that the child-like innocence that keeps us looking around the corner for something new always lives inside us. Sometimes we just have to peel back the layers. And I think nothing is more important as we get older. We all want to feel the energy, passion, and excitement- the magic! This is the very thing that keeps us young at heart! When we think we know the answer to everything and what comes next we end up judging instead of showing up and expecting something new and exciting to happen!
I came across this poem while I was writing this blog.
"YOUTH"
Samuel Ullman
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
So, if you are feeling like a bit of magic has disappeared from your life, fear not. It’s there. Hidden. Inside that little boy or girl. Reach in there and rediscover it! Let yourself dream! Let your imagination soar! Give yourself time to play with the abandon of a child!
I invite you to join us on our next ReConnect Retreat on Friday, March 13th. We will definitely stoke the flame of curiosity and wonder! Nothing could be more important!
With Love & Gratitude,
Kinda and Rachel
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