Magic

I went home this weekend and had the opportunity to hang out with my entire family. While sitting around joking, I realized how much fun we all have together. I laughed and reminisced with my brother Brian about how fun it will be to see Ken Griffey Jr. in a Mariners uniform again. I laughed and joked with my brother Phil about a variety of things, most notably his girlfriend's choices in music and television. My Mom and I had more fun and intelligent conversations. I even got the opportunity to see my Dad, who made his annual visit to my Mom's house to help work on somebody's car. What was probably the most rewarding was the interest that my nephew was exhibiting towards reading books and repeating every word that I read to him. I pointed to a picture and he would say the word that we were using to associate to that particular picture. I laughed when he repeated the number 9-1-1 in his own version, "One, one."
He's growing up quick and his little boy days are starting to replace memories of holding him with a bottle, falling asleep with him sleeping on my chest, and doing whatever I could to get him to laugh. He's developing a personality and despite the fact that he can be a real turd, it's a joy to be around him.
I took him outside to explore the mysteries of my Mom's backyard. I picked up a stick to whack the bush, he picked up a stick to whack the bush. I jumped down a step, he jumped down a step. I pretended to eat a leaf, he actually tried to eat it, but not before I could pull it out of his mouth.
The experience of raising a child can be exhilarating, time-consuming, and tiring all at the same time. However, these are the moments that we remember most especially when they grow up to become young men and women. I remember my parents telling me stories of my childhood and how much I have changed over the years. I still find myself changing and trying to make improvements.
I'm not in a position right now to have children. However, that's not to say that I couldn't handle it. I've seen just how far my brother has come along while trying to take care of my nephew. I used to worry about my ability to be a parent, but after being extremely close to my nephew for 2 years I know that I'm the little league/soccer/life coach that every man desires to become.
Children have a way of humbling us and making us appreciate the things that we have forgotten to appreciate. They find humor in simple, goofy things and it's because of them that we can, once again, find them funny. To imitate the growling of a bear or the meowing of a kitty are joys to a child. That joy still exists within me as it does within you.
Aging and learning are parallel to the complication of the most simple things. When we're kids, we understood that Santa could make it to every house, on every continent of the globe because of magic. When we grow older and become adults, we "understand" that to do such a feat would be impossible because of physics and mathematics. When I see my nephew, the magic that I once thought was the answer for everything comes back to life. It makes me realize that sometimes not knowing the answer to everything is okay. That ignorance is not bliss, but a blessing. If I could "unlearn" certain other things in order to enjoy life more...I'd do it. However, having my nephew around has allowed me to be the same and experience the magic of "the unknown".
What is the weather going to be like tomorrow? Sure, I could turn on the news and check the 5-day forecast and prepare for rain and/or sunshine, but I prefer another option. I like waking up and having to look out the window to determine what to wear. If I looked at the forecast I would never be surprised. I deprive myself of having something to look forward to in the morning. If the forecast was wrong, I'd be upset and disappointed and feel the urge to blame the meteorologist. I prefer to live day-to-day and not know what will be happening tomorrow.
We've become a world where the time with our family and loved ones are supposed to fit in a specific time-slot and are only to last "X" amount of time. Whatever happened to taking your kids to the park to swing on the swings and deciding, right then and there, that you should go see a movie or take in a baseball game? Trying to know everything takes away from the magic of life. Sometimes not knowing allows us to be more free and spontaneous.
Remember how excited you got when you heard the chiming of the ice cream truck? He'd always come around right when you REALLY wanted ice cream. Now, if you knew the exact times and the days that he would come around...you'd never be surprised to see him. In fact, you'd be standing on the curb with your hand on your hip and eyes on your watch waiting for him to show.
I have no problem with being organized and having "all my ducks in a row". Only those who have seen my studio apartment truly understand that organization and cleanliness are not in my vocabulary. I wake up, toss the blanket to the end of my bed, grab a shirt from off the floor, a pair of jeans from my "jean pile", two socks that are similar and don't stink, and I get ready for class. Being a guy helps me get away with this much easier than if I were a woman. However, don't let that pull you away from what I'm trying to say.
Life is all about balance. We cannot control everything and we cannot have everything that we want. Money isn't necessary for happiness. We can organize our weekly schedules, but we should also devote time to our "whatever happens, happens" slot. We should welcome spontaneity and wonder. We should start each day with a laugh and end each day with a happy thought. We should slow down and soak it all in more often. We should hug more, kiss more, and love more. We should find alone time and use it to cry, contemplate a future decision, and/or relax the brain. We should be comfortable in our clothes and not be aiming to outdo someone else. When I look at an open field full of grass and flowers, I don't see a location for a housing development. I see it as a place where children can run through the flowers while holding the line to a kite. We should find time for magic.
Life is also about magic. Magic is a word with much meaning and little belief. A man/woman whom always bases his/her decisions by the "cost-benefit analysis" is only depriving themselves of magic. Magic is a monster underneath a little boys bed. Magic is the beautiful princess flying through the sky on a unicorn. Magic is seeing your childhood hero return home to play for your favorite baseball team one last time.
There is magic everywhere, we're just too distraught to see it. There's magic in a relationship/marriage. Dragons, talking animals, and a childhood baseball hero are magic within a child's bedtime story. Magic is the answer to a child's question. There is magic in stories, scripts, plays, and movies. Magic is everywhere...we just need to find time to look for it.
The people who ask, "where time went" aren't living in the moment. They're always trying to fill their schedule with things that they feel they "must do".
This is for the people who place monetary value on time. This is for the people who read books to get ahead in their particular field instead of taking their brain on a magical journey. This is for the people who only cry when they're sad.
Sometimes it's okay to not know something. A life spent looking for answers is a life wasted. Instead of beeping car horns and ringing phones we should be hearing a child's giggle or the water from a waterfall crashing on the rocks. Instead of enjoying things that require money we should be enjoying things that cost less and reward more. Instead of bringing your work home you should be taking your son/daughter fishing or to a drive-in movie with a playground.
Life is short. We shouldn't dwell on the time that we have left, we should consider how every second and every breath is an extension of our wonderful life and an opportunity to make the most of it. The act of learning is also the act of forgetting. Let us not forget our innocence and what makes us laugh. Remember the reasons that you love someone and make sure to tell them every chance that you get. Spend more time closing your eyes and using your imagination to travel to distant lands, walk through the rainforest, and fly like a bird. Remember to laugh at a funny face, be amazed at the sight of a bubble, and to growl like a bear.
We all believed in magic at one point in our lives, but forgot all about it as we matured. The secret to a happy life lies not within our financial standing or our job title, but in the magic that once allowed us to fly, to believe in dragons and sorcerers, and to believe that Santa could stop at every single house on every continent in one night.