Do You Believe in Magic?

This weekend was filled with magical moments. On three separate occasions I was reminded that there is indeed reason to believe.

(Photos courtesy of Steve, Blogger photographer extrordinaire!)

Saturday was one of the most beautiful days of the Spring. Just before the arrival of Bloggers from far and wide we hoisted the May pole in our back yard. Twelve colorful ribbons fluttered in the breeze.

I had never even met half of the people who came to our May party. But as we sat there drinking beer and wine coolers and eating little skewers of grilled food, we found common links that established us as family. We talked about anonymity, about family reading our Blogs, about the time-sink that Blogging can become, about when and how to quit. And of course there were stories, lots of stories. Two of our number could lord it over us that they know Cube’s first name, but no one would dare tell.

We were indeed family by the time the dance began. We were instructed to pick a ribbon of our choice and then to charge up the pole with lusty thoughts.

Half of us prepared to move in a clockwise direction; the other half would go counter-clockwise. It seemed a simple matter to go under and over as we danced to the music. We must have looked like the dorkiest bunch of dancers ever as we went round and round. Everyone looked up in awe as the pole disappeared under its woven blanket of colored ribbon. Although the tradition is to run into the woods and have sex after the May dance, there is far too much poison ivy in our woods, so we just joked about it. This was definitely magical moment #1.

Today I went to a book talk at the French embassy by Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, Five Quarters of the Orange, and now The Girl with No Shadow, a sequel to Chocolat. Anyone who has read these books knows how magic permeates this author’s writing. During the Q & A period after her talk, someone asked her if indeed she believes in magic. She answered in the affirmative, noting that it’s not always Harry Potter type magic, but it’s magic nonetheless with a whole host of magic-related words in the English language. The magic of chocolate was present even today as we feasted while getting our books signed. Magical moment #2.

Then on to a Cinco de Mayo concert with the Capital City Symphony, where my good friend is the principal bass player. The second piece was El Amor Brujo by Manuel de Falla. A “brujo” is a magician or wizard. Thirteen segments with titles like The Apparition, Dance of Terror, and Dance of the Game of Love make up this piece. It could not have been better timed to constitute magical moment #3.

Now that I’m a true believer, I’m home again with the reality of a completed Maypole, piles of laundry, and another week about to begin. I’ll be looking for the next magical moment amidst the everyday routine that defines my life. Who knows where I’ll find it!