This morning I awoke to find a window blind had fallen away from the wall and, while trying to fix it, I smashed a plant pot. Sweeping up the spiky shards of clay in my bare feet, I turned the shower on only to find there was no hot water. When I went to check the boiler, it had decided to give up. I tried to revive it but the rasping sounds were beyond my skill level.
I went to make myself a coffee and the kitchen tap almost came away in my hand. I frantically began running around in my pyjamas trying to get my usual heating engineer to come out ASAP, but was told there was no availability for a few days. A plumber I’d managed to speak to was going on holiday and wasn’t sure they’d make a visit before then either. One quick wipe down with a cold rag later, I set to finding an engineer who could come today.
Waiting for a call back, I had to cancel today’s appointments. This is one of my pet peeves. I do not like to have to cancel or reschedule clients' appointments, especially last minute. The morning came and went and no phone call. I resigned myself to getting some writing work done while I waited some more.
At lunchtime I thought, ‘I really should go and stretch my legs if I’m at this laptop all day’. There is always a lot to do so it's very easy for me to get lost in it all and, before I know it, it’s 9pm and I haven’t moved. It’s cold and grey and dreich and I could oh so easily justify staying indoors. But I look outside and the trees are beckoning, the sparrows are flitting here and there and I think 'OK, I'll get outside for a bit'.

So off I go for a walk - striding because I have stuff to do you know, oh so very busy am I - and I'm less than two minutes into my walk when this halo of red appears about 200 yards in front of me. It's a young girl with hair like Merida from Brave, and she will get this comparison ALL the time.
The energy of this girl is so vibrant; flames are flowing from her head. As I pass her, with a guardian who I take to be her mum, I say ‘I hope you don’t mind...’ before I speak to Merida because, well, don’t talk to strangers kids. I say ‘Your hair is gorgeous and amazing!’. She smiles and doesn’t quite know what to say so I slowly keep walking. Then she shouts after me ‘Your hair is like mine and you are very pretty!’ My hair is auburn and wavy but I have always coveted hair like this lovely girl’s crowning glory, all corkscrews of fire. We’re both red of a kind but her hair is something else, truly magnificent. I say ‘Thank you! We’re both gorgeous, how great is that?!’.Â
I continue on my walk and for the rest of it I am so content. That one small interaction of loveliness has returned me to myself; I return to seeing magic everywhere again. I wander through a little local woodland and the light shining through the trees is holy. The sound of the running stream is so hypnotic. The smell of the woodland a reminder of primordial life. Everything slows right down. A passing squirrel even stopped his busying for a few seconds.Â
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As I go on my way, I smile and say hello to the people I pass; a dog walker and a lady going to the corner shop, who apologises for being slow in front of me. I say ‘Remember, it was the tortoise who won, not the hare’ and she smiles.Â
I get back home and within 5 minutes the heating engineer arrives at the door and he’s also a plumber. Less than an hour later, he’s fixed the boiler and tightened the kitchen tap as a temporary measure. He tells me to let him know when I buy a new tap and he’ll come and fit it no problem. Twenty minutes later my mum pops by, bringing chocolate eclairs, and we sit and laugh for a couple of hours. One of my cats enjoys the pastry crumbs.
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That one small exchange completely changed my day. That bonnie little ball of fire shot her arrow, straight at my heart, hit her target and completely restored me.
*I have added recommendations of my own hand grown and crafted organic flower essences in this post, those that I feel are suitable for embracing everyday magic. You can discover the full range below.
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Originally published Autumn 2023.
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