The "Magical" In Life...No Wand Required (A Featured Post on Brazen Careerist!)

Hold on to the magical, if you believe in it. And if you don't believe, start. And you will have to put forth some effort and define "magic" in whatever way suits you best, since it is a million things to a million people. But I am sure you know what I mean by "magic", and Merlin ain't got nothin' to do with it.


I am also sure you have experienced people pissing on your idea of "magic". How often have you heard people say something like this when it comes to letting go, or no longer experiencing magic;

“I have to enjoy every moment this offers, because once it’s over...”
 
“It’s time for me to settle down, and stop doing/thinking/longing for such things.”
 
“I’m not a kid anymore. I'm too old for that stuff.”

And they let go of the idea of magic. Like a Greek Chorus I try to mention to such people that they need not bow to this depressing notion; that they are confusing the circumstances under which they experienced magic with the reasons they did so. That such thinking only invites magic to die once a certain age is reached or they become far away from a certain location.  Also, like a Greek Chorus, I ultimately fail to alter the thoughts and actions of those to whom I speak this all important truth. Completing the metaphor, some element of tragedy usually follows. A tragedy of spirit.

But I say to always hold on to beauty. Insist upon magic. (However you define that.) Be open to the mysterious.  Don’t resign to the end of these intangibles because some arbitrary social system, (which only happens to be prevalent at the moment), insists that it is time to do so.

Think of the times that most people associate with that "magical" feeling. Something they can "never get back". The first time they fall in love. Or "being young". (For some this is high school, for others, college.) Perhaps a very special vacation. What do these types of circumstances have in common? People are more open to the transcendent during such moments. They allow themselves to live at the exact moment more than at other times. They insist on cares, worries, anxieties and fears being placed in the back seat on a regular basis.

Then someone tells them that college is over, they are not a kid anymore, life is difficult, and there are responsibilities to be upheld. As though each of those things preclude the concept of sublime wonder.

But you can feel that sense of cosmic freedom at any time, if you remember three things:

1)You can fight for magic.
2) You have every right to do so.
3) You will find it if you want it.

The setting may change, but the over all connection to the mystical need not decrease as you get older, or take on more responsibilities, or finish high school, or finish college, or get married. That is a myth. It makes you easier to control. To mold you into something convenient, as opposed to something authentic.

What is/was it for you that has been magical? Those late nights with friends? That starry night? That rain you got caught in? That last minute road trip you found yourself on? Whatever it is, keep doing it as long as you live. The magic is out there, and will find you if you stay open and willing to receive it by doing the things you love.

If staying up late with friends has the potential for magic for you, for God’s sake don’t stop doing it just because you are passed a certain age. If having a drink with people you love has brought you magic before, don’t refrain from it because it happens to be Monday instead of Saturday. Tuesday will get there either way.

I am sure I am very much an enigma to many. It's part of being Too XYZ. And like anyone else I have my fears and anxieties about not being able to have enough money or enough influence in this world. I have basically none of either so far, and many out there would tell me why I am not "ahead".

"Why don’t you grow up? Quit blogging, being in plays, and staying up late listening to music. Why aren’t you in bed? Why haven’t you settled down? Gotten a wife, had a child, given you mother grandchildren? Hang out with people your own age? The time you spend writing about magic should be spent with business cards in hand marching door to door and INSISTING that you need to be hired. And if not, stop relying on your family for financial support and get a job you hate. You are supposed to hate work. You have bills to pay, so pay them any way you can. Enough of this actor/writer shit."

Well, I will tell you why I don’t do those things. Because in each case, doing so in some way squelches the Infinite within me, and I have seen enough of that sin in my lifetime.

Life is hard, whether we want it to be or not. I do agree with the naysayers on that point. But my counter argument is, why make it harder by denying ourselves the inexplicable beauty we find when we behave in “childish” ways? How am I supposed to counteract the fact that the rat race sucks by throwing up my hands and running head long into it?

There is a very large amount of cynicism out there in the professional world. And the more I have started to network, tweet, and otherwise engage in social media, the more of it I encounter. I am constantly told how unprofessional I am, and that they will write books about me one day for being so noble, after I have starved to death. (I refer such folks to this previous entry of mine.) It's no wonder I have never really gotten my foot in the door of the world of personal branding, elbow rubbing, meta-networking and cold calling. It denies me the magic, and even worse, denies me the right to desire it.

But desire it, I do. And if you do as well, feel free to join me in doing things a little differently. I welcome the company for a change.