Mindful Living: Magic and Miracles in Everyday Life

“I never did mind about the little things”Brigitte Fonda murmurs in one of my favorite movies Point Of No Return. Although she’s using the line to keep a bad guy from blowing her brains out, it’s probably a pretty good plan in general. In a hundred years no one will care whether some little project happened this way or that. On the other hand, it’s the little things that bring magic to life, a pretty good argument for appreciating the here and now. Not to say there isn’t a hereafter, but I’m hedging my bets.

Brigitte Fonda hedged a few of her own bets in another odd duck movie Rough Magic. This Northern Exposure-esque film blended stage magic and spiritual magic into a charming love story, surely a courageous act for Hollywood. In the opening scene Brigitte the magician pulls baby bunnies out of unsuspecting elevator occupant’s pockets. I don’t know much about stage magic, but there is a little of the Hollywood sort in my everyday, even if it’s not always well choreographed.

One of those moments came the other day when I got home late. My main kitty Boca met me on the steps and leapt into my arms. His whiskers brushed against my cheek, and I could feel his heart beating a steady rhythm. White snowflakes tipped the ends of his fur, like a sky full of stars. We stood and listened to the rhythm of the night for a long time.

When we finally went inside, my niece Megan asked me to play “Heart & Soul”with her on the pano. So we banged out variations on the theme on keys that were, even to my untrained ear, more than a bit out of tune. It didn’t matter though because the notes rang with such fire that our minds and hearts slid into “flow” and the song became more than the overplayed piano piece that it was born.

That “flow” is what transports you into a river of consciousness where you are aware of nothing but your craft. It’s a spirit thing really, a walking meditation for those of us whose feet and fingers can’t sit still.

So, I guess I do mind about the little things, but I also don’t mind them either. Seems like the things that bother me today are forgotten by next week anyway. The only thing I know for sure is that most of the shebang is here now - God, Life and Love. I say hedge your bets and do something now, just for the “flow”of it.

Copyright May, 1999

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