Magic

I’ve been thinking about magic today.

My friend and I were discussing the Tooth Fairy, who incidentally forgot to come for our boy’s tooth two nights this week. Last night he wrote her a note that said:

Dear Tooth Fairy,
Please remember to take my tooth tonight.
P.S. Do you think molars are extra because they are bigger?
Love,
E

My friend asked if I think he still actually believes in the tooth fairy now that he is almost eleven years old. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t, but like most kids, he’s afraid not to believe. Afraid because he knows that the best part of it—the magic—will end. And maybe, just maybe, the money won’t be there in the morning. Or the pile of presents under the Christmas tree will dwindle if he confesses to not believing in Santa Claus anymore either.

My friend said her seven-year-old has been asking since he was three or four if it’s all true. “How can it be, Mom? Santa can’t do all that work in one night. That’s impossible.”

“It’s magic,” she tells him.
“There’s no such thing as magic,” he replied.

I say he’s wrong. I say the world if full of magic if we look for it. Everyday life is something that we are all mired in, yet few of us appreciate. When was the last time you heard the birds singing outside your window or were aware of the raindrops as they fell from the sky? Have you ever bathed in the moonlight of a warm summer night? Are you ever aware of the miraculous act of breathing? Have you looked at your hand lately, to see how all the muscles and bones fit together and work to make it so you are able to pick up a dime from the floor, tickle a baby’s toes, hold the hand of a loved one?

A few minutes after this conversation about magic, a small hole appeared in the clouds to the left of the sun. A little piece of a rainbow peeked through. No rain in sight, just a hazy cloudy sky. Minutes later another hole and another piece of a rainbow on the other side of the sun. Another minute went by and the holes opened wider and it looked as though the sun was circled by a rainbow. Within an hour two more had appeared so it looked like two rainbow circles were linked around the sun. I couldn’t take a picture because I have a little point-and-shoot camera and the sun was too bright. But I’ve never in my life seen anything like it.

Magic. Pure magic.