On the beauty of Aurora Borealis
Or letting the magic come to you
My preschool daughter currently loves The Rainbow Fairies series by Daisy Meadows. She revels in any chance to cheer Rachel, Kirsty, and their fairy friends on as they recover magical items from Jack Frost and his goblins. A piece of advice the Fairy Queen frequently gives the girls is to “let the magic come to you”, rather than go looking for it.
This line bounced around my head as my husband and I stood in our driveway, in awe last night. In suburban Virginia we could see the Aurora Borealis with our bare eyes. The pictures showed even more magic.
In my teens and twenties I often chased the magic of nature. If a hike did not promise an epic vista view, I was not particularly interested. I hoped to visit National Parks during the season when their most famous features shone. I desired grandeur and thought I had to seek big adventures far from home to find it.
I have grown a lot in my appreciation of nature in the past few years. (Thank you motherhood and COVID?) I know the beauty of watching the seasons change through the plants in our yard. Every time my children find a bug or critter and get as close to it with their face as possible, I smile and breathe gratitude. And don't get my son and I started on the mystery and delight of mushrooms popping up near his climbing tree.
Noticing the smaller, maybe more common, things is something I now take pride in. I don't need a vista view to have my heart sing and soar into awe. That is part of this space I'm creating here on Substack- to bring joy to noticing what is in front of us.
But when the “big” magic came knocking last night, I could barely believe it. I must have said 20 times, “This is wild. We can see the Northern Lights from our driveway, in Virginia!!”
This morning the wonder and gratitude still linger. I feel a sense of peace and integration. I am not in a season of life where I can go chasing magic and that is okay. It has centered me in my practice of noticing beauty here. I am not embarrassed with how the magic of nature moves me, I am delighted when it comes to me and hold hope for the next adventure in wonder.