I’ve always looked for the magic in life, even during the darkest most troubling times. They are always, always there, though fleeting. As if entering another realm for just a while when time seems to stop and life and joy and the wonder of a child lift our hearts and laughter resounds like bubbles in the air. And it’s real. These moments are real. I’ve always reached for them and now, as I move through this time of recovery from last year’s events and health crises including a lot of anxiety and some depression, I’ve been reaching for them even more. And they are there. Opportunities to experience so many new and different and wonderous things are always available to us. Sometimes we have to ask for help to get there, or make extra accommodations for ourselves in order to make the experience physically possible, and sometimes we simply want friends along for the journey to go seek the joy with us.
This photo was taken on one of those days recently when I went with friends to a Fairy Festival. There were bubbles, castles, music, fairy houses, flowers, magical forest paths, and even a Fairy Queen. As is the case with many things I do these days, it took so much for me to get there and by the end of the day my energy was beyond depleted, which is how my days go. I only have a small window of activity before I need to rest, so I choose my activities wisely and carefully. I almost didn’t make it this day and even the day before tried to give the ticket away to someone who I knew wanted to go. Thankfully she had other plans at that point, so I mustered everything I had and my friends made it easy, as they are aware of my limitations. I am blessed to have people like this in my life.
The bubbles were fun. We posed in front of the bubble machine and I held the camera on top of it so it wouldn’t get soapy and took many photos, hoping at least one or two would capture our joy as we laughed while bubbles floated around us and even hit us on our cheeks or noses. It was wonderful!
Despite how I felt physically that day, I can look back at this photo and remember the joy and the magic. I remember feeling much more before the strokes… and yet as blank as I might feel a lot of the time, I know when I enjoy something. I see it in pictures. Like this one.
