Every year I pull a tarot card for each month of the coming year. This year, I pulled the death card for August. It didn't leave me with a good feeling. I've gone this whole month wondering what it meant - what lesson it might bring. Yesterday, I received it.

An acquaintance of mine passed away. No one's completely sure why yet, but they suspect an illness that got out of hand. 

Anytime I saw him he looked miserable. Slumped in a bar stool, quiet, drinking, eyes deep in space. I sensed he was going through some deep pain, but I never said, "Hey, I know we don't know each other that well, but if you need to talk I'm a great listener."

One night my husband and I went out with a group of friends for pizza. This man was there and I felt so bad for him because he was the only one without a partner. He came alone and sat quietly, cracking a smile every now and then. And when everyone had left except my husband and I, he continued to sit in his chair...just staring. My husband asked how he was and he mumbled something about having been better and we left it at that. 

I remember thinking, this man is so very troubled. We should talk to him more. 

But we didn't. 

I never reached out because I was afraid. I thought, if he hadn't listened or reached out to good friends, why would he reach out to a stranger?

I feel sad that he was hurting in silence. I feel sad that, whatever was going on in his life, it consumed him.

Death reminds me that we must love at all times, even when it's scary. Even when we don't know the person. Even if if their life story is a mess and we don't want to read it. We must love now and we must love all because people slip away too easily. We must love our friends and family and strangers while they're here, even in their darkest moments. Especially in their darkest moments. 

So let us love while we can. Let us reach out to the happy and the sad. Let us smile and hug and give spontaneous kisses. Let us just be there for someone, even if only to listen and hold her hand.

Your life is your message. Let it be one of love. 

 

Life is messy.

It hardly ever looks like the photos we see on Pinterest. You know the ones: the sunlit rooms and sacred spaces, beautifully designed offices and organized desks, candlelit bathrooms and clawfoot tubs filled with rose petals and lotus blossoms.

Even if those places exist, there's bound to be some mess behind the curtain. And "mess" can mean anything from dirty dishes to crying children and blaring televisions.

I started a meditation practice this week; I'm going for at least 20 minutes each day. Yesterday was easy enough because I had the house to myself, but today was another story. 

I put my ear buds in and cranked up the Moses Code meditation by Dr. Wayne Dyer, but among the blissful notes I could still here my husband watching t.v. in the other room. Then I felt my dog nudging his nose under my hand, begging me to pet or play. 

I felt my self tense up, longing for a quiet space and 20 minutes of solo time. 

But then I thought...well, this is how it is. This is life and it's not always quiet and perfect and the right time. In fact, if I can meditate through movie chatter and dog nudges, I think I can get through the chaotic times with a little more ease.

If we can learn to go inside ourselves and quiet that space, even when the outside world is loud and less than ideal, I think we've mastered the art of meditation. 

So be kind to yourself (and others) when the outside picture doesn't match the one in your head...or the one you envy on someone's blog.

Just let it be. The mess, the noise, life. 

Go inside yourself and create that peaceful, sacred space. That's where all the magic happens.

Thank you all for commenting on the Bella Grace giveaway post. The magic moments you wrote about were beautiful and I enjoyed reading each and every one. 

I plugged the numbers into a random number generator and the copy of Bella Grace goes to...

Nancy D!!

Nancy, shoot an email to ckpoet@gmail.com with your address and I'll mail the copy out to you a.s.a.p. 

I'm so very honored to be a part of the premiere issue of Bella Grace magazine. This beautiful publication is devoted to "discovering magic in the ordinary." Definitely something I strive to do. 

Have I shared this poem with you before?

the man with the wide grin,
teeth sharp with determination
afternoon siestas 
underneath the shade of coconut trees
bushels of neon pink petals
beside dirt roads
a baby blue bicycle
coffee and toast with strawberry jam
the sound of mama ocean
holding us in her arms

I like to notice things around me, the little things, the everyday magic. I've been posting snippets of magical things that happen to me on Twitter. 

Moonlight walks surrounded by fireflies.
Burning lavender essential oil and sleeping with crystals.
Technicolor butterflies.

I've believed in magic for a long time. The ordinary magic that gets buried by responsibility and jobs and bills and life. Even in tragedy, I think there is magic. Always something beautiful underneath the rubble. 

I think my eyes were opened to this kind of thinking when I read my first Francesca Lia Block book. I loved how she weaved magical experiences into everyday situations. There is magic in love and sadness, poetry and whispers, fresh farm strawberries and vanilla incense. It's in the way the tea kettle whistles and how the candle burns and when your hands touch wind-blown cotton sheets. 

Everyday magic is what I like to call Living Poetry. It's how we move through our days with beauty, grace, and an open heart. Life is poetry, you are poetry, and poetry is magic. 

What everyday magic do you experience? Share with me in the comments and you'll have a chance to win a copy of Bella Grace. Giveaway starts Wednesday, August 13 and I'll do a random drawing on Tuesday, August 19. 

So let me know, love. What magic do you taste, hear, smell, touch, see? What beauty surrounds you?