Sometimes the daily grind and patterns of our lives can begin to make us feel like we are just going through the motions, shuttling between different errands and commitments – hardly aware and awake to the moments before us.
In response to this, sometimes we feel like we are waiting for something special to happen, hoping something magical will happen, something that will shake us out of the everyday humdrum.
The truth is that what we are waiting for is actually happening right before our eyes every day. If we slow down and pay attention to the everyday moments, we might find they hold their own kind of magic. Perhaps we will see that magic in a sly smile from our child over something as simple as ice cream for dessert, or the happiness a favorite song on the radio brings on the drive to soccer practice. Or we might recognize the special magic of reading a bedtime story to a child or the preciousness of that quiet moment with our spouse or partner after the kids are in bed.
If we really pay attention, we can recognize that every day holds the possibility of magic, not only for us, but also for others because our daily lives hold magical opportunities to be kind to others, to spread the magic with little extra effort, simply through small acts or gestures of kindness to those around us. Sometimes it is merely a smile or simple hello.
For me, recently, it was the kind act of a stranger offering to put my shopping cart away for me at the grocery store after watching me load two young children into the car and bags and bags of groceries. Or it could be my own gesture of giving an extra nice tip for good service and seeing the smile this gesture produced.
After the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, many individuals began committing themselves to 26 Acts of Kindness for the children and adults who were killed. I find myself hoping this idea, these commitments, will expand beyond 26 specific acts and will lead to a way of being, and become entrenched habits for all of us.
I am hoping for a new year that is full of kindness, goodness and magic as more and more of us slow down and enjoy the time we have with our loved ones and become awake and aware of our actions so we do not miss opportunities to spread some extra joy, kindness and happiness to others.
Even the smallest gestures and the most ordinary of moments can be amazingly transformative. So go ahead and join me in a commitment to make 2013 truly magical. It will be worth it.
Also, stay tuned; Starting next week I will kick off the ABCs of the Santa Clarita Valley, which will run for 26 weeks as I focus on a different aspect of the SCV from A to Z.
Jennifer Fischer is co-founder of the SCV Film Festival, a mom of two, an independent filmmaker and owner of Think Ten Media Group, whose Generation Arts division offers programs for SCV youth. She writes about her parenting journey on her blog, The Good Long Road. Her commentary is published Saturdays on SCVNews.com.
Let's Make 2013 Magical | Commentary by Jennifer Fischer
