A Little Bit Of Magic
I’d advise looking for magic at least once a day. It is a habit I have started to add into my every day and magic always shows up.
Here are some examples:
At a recent friend gathering, I mentioned a Tarot card that always shows up in my readings. It shows up in the one my friend does for me a few hours later in a very important station in the spread.
White, feathery seeds flying up into the air at an apple orchard, looking like snow or tiny white fairies spinning above our heads.
Autumn leaves drifting down from the trees making fire fall slowly
The rain that has poured all day stopping as you start walking into a tunnel made of pumpkins and neon lights with your favorite people
I have a story about magic from Disney World. No, it’s not about a ride or the magic they produce there everyday (and they do). It is about real people magic and the love of a stuffed toy.
The first night of our vacation, we wandered around Disney Springs, the newly renovated shopping area formerly known as Downtown Disney. There was one particular newer shop I wanted to explore as I had seen their store on social media and they had a ton of literary quotes on a variety of products. My kind of shop.
While wandering the store, I saw they had my favorite Velveteen Rabbit quote on several items including a shower curtain. I have always wanted to find a rabbit that looked like how I pictured the one in the book. This was on my mind as we wandered into the kids section looking for a baby gift for our friends. There was a basket of insanely soft stuffed animals. They had several species including elephants and deer. There was one that had all rabbits in it. I pulled one out and immediately felt a pull towards it. It was the rabbit! It looked exactly like the Velveteen Rabbit I imagined! I actually gasped and squealed as I picked him up.
“I’m getting this,” I said to my husband. I held it in my hand for a few minutes and then put it back. “No, wait, I don’t need it.” He told me to get it if I wanted but I hesitated. I didn’t need another stuffed animal but this one was calling to me in a weird way. I picked it back up and felt the fur sink in between my fingers. He had a spot of glue on his head that gathered the fur in a tiny bunch and I almost traded him out but I thought that was wrong. This was my rabbit. The entire point of the book was that the rabbit has its flaws because it is loved.
We looked around the rest of the store, the rabbit in my arms. The sales associate commented on how cute the rabbits were and I told her it was how I pictured the Velveteen Rabbit. She mentioned the products with the quote they had and I said it was my favorite. Her face lit up in recognition that this was more than a random item I was buying.
As I continued to browse, more people commented on my rabbit. “Oh, how sweet!” “Where did you find that, it’s so perfect!” There was a strange surge in this tiny shop that Florida evening of the magic of something beloved, something simple and soft. No one remarked that this grown woman was clutching a rabbit affectionately like a small child would. Everyone had lovely, nostalgic tones to their voices. Some had a twinge of sadness as if they too wanted to be carrying around a stuffed animal again. Yes, Disney World thrives on that feeling and being a kid again but this was a little different. It wasn’t in a park or on a ride. It was in a store in an open shopping center that doesn’t require a ticket. It was strange and powerful. As I carried the rabbit in my arms and paid for him, I felt a comfort that can only come from a toy you give your heart to. You spill your secrets to and sleep with tucked into your arms every night. A toy that is more than a toy. It is your Velveteen Rabbit you always imagined having and now I have mine.
Arthur, as he was named, sleeps in my bed with my other stuffed animal, Cody, from childhood. A secret that I am not embarrassed to share: I sleep better holding a stuffed animal. Is that weird? Maybe. But hey, I’m a weirdo.
There are moments of magic every day and this was one I am carrying with me. There was some connection made with those strangers in that store that night. We all knew how special it was to find a toy like that. We all missed the simplicity and solace a stuffed rabbit can provide. It fills me with a light when I think about picking that rabbit up and just knowing I had to take it home. It was something I had always been seeking, never actively, and it found its way to me. And others knew it, too.
Look for the magic. Trust me when I say it always shows up; you just have to keep your eyes open.
