Everyday Magic

Maybe I hail from a simpler time, or maybe I'm just a little simple, but there are a number of pedestrian things that I find to be quite magical.  Many of them have to do with modern conveniences: my crockpot, bread maker, dishwasher, washing machine, all magic-workers.  Anything with a timer--waking up to freshly baked bread, freshly washed laundry, wandering into the house late in the afternoon to the smell of food cooking in the crockpot long after I have forgotten about putting something into it earlier in the day--these are certainly magical.  However, many have to do with basic stuff.  The more basic, the more magical it all becomes.  And, I will venture to say, perhaps this is part of what is wrong with us as a culture today; we have lost that everyday magic.  Nearly no one sees bread rise, or yogurt gel, or seeds sprout, or plants grow, bloom, and form fruit.  Very few whip cream into butter or even whipped cream, let alone care for the animal from whence the milk comes.  Not many know how to craft clothing from a spool of thread and a pile of fabric or a skein of yarn.  Fewer still know how to take fiber and create yarn, thread, or fabric.  I find this process absolutely magical.  Few craft wood into objects or even homes (even those that craft wood into homes these days often only do certain parts, roofers, drywallers, electricians, plumbers).  Few craft pottery from mud (I know, not actually mud) or glass from sand.  And, how amazing to take these simple items and craft them into food, clothing, shelter, and art! 

This translates to an even greater loss, the loss of faith in the magic and ability of our own bodies.  Probably if we paid attention to the processes of producing food, there would be a lot fewer things we would let pass our lips. We would be healthier, I think. We might also regain faith that like other animals, if our bodies are capable of the magic of producing another human being, we are also capable, without medical intervention in almost every case, of birthing and nursing our young.  

Perhaps the "looming recession"  will lead us back to a little more of this magic as people have to go back to simpler processes to survive.  Or, maybe we'll just keep on consuming without thought.  I dunno.  I'm grateful that I was raised in a way that has enabled me to see this everyday magic.