Santa Baby......

Santa and Olivia 2015

Dear Santa,

Thanks so much for all of magic you add to this time of year.  You are one very special guy.  This year, I thought I’d send you a long list; there are plenty of options here!  My thinking is of the “if you shoot for moon and miss, you still may be among the stars.” genus.

Emily’s List:

1.  No cellulite or thigh wrinkles.  Eternal tautness in the region between my ankles and hips.  Thanks that would be greeeeat.

    

2.    Heal Blake.  Help me understand what he needs and figure out what to give him to help him get those needs met.

    

3.  Removal of all worry.  Help me to grow the Zen that takes residence in my heart in the most sacred and surprising of moments to fill me up and push the worries out of me so that there is no room for them.

    

4. Perfect confidence.  Not too much, not too little.  The right amount so that I don’t pass on my insecurities to my daughter and not so much that I start to think I’m more than just a wonderful but small part of God’s plan.

    

5. Big love. For my family, my patient and wonderful spouse, my kids, people in the community and abroad.

    

6. Stop all terrorism.  No bombs, no attacks, no rhetoric.  Just white this out with a marker or scrub it with one of those Mr. Clean sponges.  Remove it from our world in a way that keeps it from coming back.

    

1. Yes, I realize how shallow I am that this is not #1.  Sorry, I’m going with the Kerouac, spontaneous prose approach.  Just keepin’ it real over here.  Oh man I am lame.

    

7.  Stop all human trafficking.  Stop the people buying these victims, stop the people working to keep it going, and help to heal the victims of this plague. 

1.   Insert repeat of shame from 6.1 here….

    

8. Eliminate cancer.  I can accept that in some lives, cancer has been used for good, however, I’m feeling like a gambler, and love to see what a world without cancer would be like.

    

9. Improved food supply and food for the hungry.  Help us to create a system where the excess is shared in a more efficient way with those that are without food and basic human needs.

    

10.  The ability to fly

     

11.  20 or so laughing fits (the kind where you cry a little and are completely overwhelmed by humor).

     

12. Comfy slippers (gotta throw some softballs in here to give the big guy in red and those trusty elves some relief) 

     

13.   Magic glasses.  The kind where you put them on and see the magic in people instead of your own reflection or impression of them.

     

14. The ability to eat chocolate and cheese and drink red wine and only get the good benefits from it, not the bad ones (thighs, hangovers, etc.).

     

 Thanks again for all you do Santa.  I’m not sure if you’re the same Santa that was in residence back in the 80’s but if you are, you did such a great job listening intently to our lists and giving us GREAT presents.  I hope you know how loved you are (by me especially) and that even if you’re unable to deliver on any of these items, I’ll still think you’re magnificent.

XOXX

Emily

Do you believe in magic?

Sorry, I know I just got that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. I had to do it though. It was just too appropriate. At church on Sunday, the speaker referred to the "magical period" in a relationship when you first fall in love. It got me thinking a little about magic. The world is certainly a wondrous place. Whenever I have traveled, I relish the opportunity to see new parts of the world, and to see surroundings from a curious perspective. I often find myself filled with wonder at the beauty of new places. I'll gaze out on a sea reflecting purples, pinks, oranges and blues from a sunset and be hypnotized by the sheer magic of the scenery.

I'm a parent of two small children, and I started to wonder; if in my efforts to do everything possible to be the best parent I can be, I might be robbing them (and myself) of the opportunity to recognize magical moments in my day to day life. If every action I make is contemplated and controlled, then how can I free myself up to recognize the colors of the world around me? The feeling of a breeze that cools and refreshes on a stifling day can go unnoticed. The recognition that the little people I'm trying to parent were once much smaller and that they have grown SO much in my presence.

I started looking for magic around me, and I found it. I found it in a lot of places. I realized that my magic sensor is closely tied to my imagination, and that the more I use the imagination, the better it works. There are many un-magical things in my day, but in being ready for the moments of pure whimsy, I seem to be creating a space for more of them.

The pediatrician's office isn't necessarily a place where you think you're in for a "magical" time. But while we were waiting for the doctor (for 40 minutes) there was a moment where I saw my son put a toy bear on a little truck and push them around together. He was playing with them functionally, a two-step, functional play moment. For me, it was a MAJOR milestone of how far we've come. We were working on trying to get him to do that like CRAZY last year. And there it was, happening right before my eyes. Hooray!!! Success! I've seen him do things like this before, I've seen him get close to achieving this type of goal, but the manner in which he did it, was spellbinding. It was Magical.

I hope this brief reminder compels you to open yourself up to magic if your life doesn't have much in it right now. If you do have a healthy amount of magic in your day, I challenge you to try and share it with others. The simple act of pointing out something magical, or perhaps just your perspective that shows something in that light, can be a huge gift to the person you share it with.