Ripples #948: Common Enchantment.
July 24, 2017
PEBBLE
We wait, starving for moments of high magic to inspire us, but life is full of common enchantment waiting for our alchemist’s eyes to notice.
-Jacob Nordby, shared by Vanessa in Des Moines, IA
BOULDER
In the best of times our days are numbered anyway, and so it would be a crime against nature for any generation to take the world’s crisis so solemnly that it put off enjoying those things for which we were designed in the first place. The opportunity to do good work, to fall in love, to enjoy friends, to hit a ball, and to bounce a baby.
-Alistair Cooke shared by Sharon in Madison, WI
PONDER
So I’m assembling this issue of Ripples at the airport a few weeks earlier than usual. I decided to double up during June and put together two issues of Ripples each week so you could continue receiving these weekly splashes even while I’m enjoying a summer break. The two quotes above matched themselves up nicely, and then it was time to decide what I wanted to saying about the idea of COMMON ENCHANTMENT. As I read over the quotes a few times and then stared off into space, I noticed a really colorful outfit someone walking through the airport was wearing.
“How enchanting,” I thought, and instantly realized that I needed to pause from pondering the IDEA of “common enchantment,” and simply let myself BE enchanted by the delicious commonness that was all around me. I began noticing people and sounds and decorations. I observed families getting excited about vacations, business colleagues huddling around laptops, and solo travelers immersed in books. I noticed sunbeams hitting a variety of surfaces, shadows creating patterns and depth, and so many more shades and hues than I usually notice. And not was I aware of the beauty around me, the airport *sounded* enchanting as well: a cacophony of voices and music amidst all sorts of hustle and bustle.
I was so enchanted that I hadn’t noticed boarding was nearly complete, and some fella named, “Wesselmann” was being paged to get on the plane. Whoops! I scooted my way over to the gate, down the jetway, and into my seat. The enchantment continued on board: the passengers seemed more interesting, the flight crew seemed friendlier, and the plane itself more intricate and wondrous than any of the hundreds of planes I’ve boarded over the years. An experience I’ve had so many times was transformed into an exquisite adventure with just the slightest of adjustments (more on slight adjustments next week!).
Now it is YOUR turn: close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and when you open your eyes again, observe the COMMON ENCHANTMENTS around you.
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
