Creating the space for magic

It’s a while since I’ve written an entry. I had a difficult transition back to Canada and only now, following an exhausting stint working at an international film festival, I once again have time to write and to be out in nature once more.

I’ve been feeling particularly sad, having left all of my animal friends in England and have been trying to visit my local beauty spots, to be amongst all the splendorous local birds and the cheeky red squirrels. The other day, I went to one of my favourite places along a river, especially a quiet stretch in the woods, with the sound of the gushing water downstream usually my sole companion. But not this time.

Apparently, there was a charity school run going on, and there were lots and LOTS of kids huffing and puffing through the woods and cheering each other on. While I appreciated their enthusiasm, I berated myself for my bad timing, and cycled on, struggling to find some peace and to connect with some animals. But there was very little of such activity, even at a usually busy set of bird feeders,.

Finally, on my way home, prepared to leave without making much of a connection, I went past the feeders again, just to leave out some seeds and peanuts. While I was taking them out of my bag, all of a sudden a load of chickadees appeared, hopping on my bike and trying to come to my hand. So I duly put some seeds in my palm and the chickadees (and one emboldened nuthatch) flew to and from my hand.

When I grabbed a moment to fill up the feeders, scores of other birds came – woodpeckers, cardinals, mourning doves, ducks and blue jays, along with a chipmunk and a scrappy red squirrel, and to top it all, a very naughty racoon, who proceeded to scoop up everything he could get with his dexterous hands. My heart filled up once again, immersed in the magic.

But how do we bring this magic into our lives? You need to ask for it, sure, but we can’t necessarily produce the exact circumstances for it to occur. It’s not so much being in the right place at the right time, but being in the right space within ourselves. We don’t so much create magic as create the space for magic to enter. If we demand magic, instead, we are projecting and filling up the space with our anxieties, leaving nowhere for the magic to find its way in.

It can be hard to step back and let go of our overwhelming desires. But in my situation, it’s only when I ‘let go and let God,’ as the saying goes, that there was space for these beloved creatures to find their way to me. Or, for the racoon, to find and fill everyone else’s space too. 🐺