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Merida and Everyday Magic

Writer's picture: Andrea DoranAndrea Doran

Curly red hair with magical sparkles

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'.


A bow and arrow made of clouds in a clear blue sky

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?!’. 



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. 

 

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. 



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.

 

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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