I feel like this is the time of year when so many of us are doing more anticipating than we are living.
It’s three weeks until Diwali, four weeks until Halloween, five weeks to daylight savings and voting day, seven and a bit weeks until Thanksgiving, not quite eleven weeks until Hanukkah, and not quite twelve weeks until Christmas. And then it’s 2023.
And before all of that, there are pumpkins to carve, costumes to find, early voting to schedule, presents to buy, families to organize, and re-organize, sweet potato casseroles to prepare, pies to bake, wrapping to do, a tree to decorate, and completely unreasonable New Year’s resolutions to ponder (and hopefully reject).
It’s enough to make you give up and eat the whole bowl of Halloween candy (omg, you have to put ‘buy candy’ on the list!)
And all this effort is so that you can create some magic: the Diwali lights will be so pretty, the kids will look so cute in their costumes and chocolate-smeared faces, the Thanksgiving table will be gorgeous, that new pie recipe buttery and delicious, the menorahs so beautiful in the windows, and the Christmas tree will be so sparkly and cozy.
Creating a little magic is important, and especially as the days get shorter, I so understand the impulse to grasp onto the festivals and look ahead to fun things.
And….
Today is magic too.
As the sunlight shines behind an orange, red, or yellow leaf - that glow is magic.
As the soft grass turns into crunchy leaves, or even a frost - that sound is magic.
As the the dusk becomes earlier and more golden - that light is magic.
As you unearth your hoodie and warm socks and thicker bed cover - that fluffiness is magic.
As you switch your lunchtime salad to lunchtime soup - that warm bowl is magic.
As the squirrels scurry back and forth with fresh acorns - your backyard nature is magic.
Yes, there is always a lot to do for tomorrow’s holidays, but let’s not let all the prep and flurry remove today’s miniature festival from our notice.
There are many today who are too busy cleaning up from hurricane damage or dealing with neglect, poverty, care-giving, or crime to see much magic.
For the rest of us who are lucky enough to be able to look up from whatever we’re doing for a moment, on a regular Monday, with no formal holiday or festival to celebrate today….we should probably do just that: look up from what we’re doing, and have just a little celebration of our very own October 3rd festival, whatever that looks like to you.
Maybe even light a candle, or make some hot chocolate, or take a crunchy walk with the puppy. Take just a moment to enjoy today’s magic.
This entire post is magic.....
I so look forward to reading your beautiful prose, Anne… this totally made my day!!!