Where did the Magic go?

Hi everyone. It has been nine days since I last wrote. In that time, I have not practiced the magic at all. I fell off the wagon and I hit bottom.

I looked around the house and utter despair consumed me. Nothing changes. Nothing gets better. Why even try?

Sunday was a blur. I slept most of Monday. And I slept until noon today.

Both days, my Mom came here. On Monday she gathered all the dirty clothes and took them to a laundromat. It was a mountain that I did not want to tackle.

Today she washed dishes. The kitchen looked like a hurricane had hit it. The counters and stove were covered with all kinds of crap. It took my Mom a few hours to straighten up that mess.

While Mom was working away in the kitchen, I stood there staring off into space. I needed to talk about it. I stammered because I didn't know how to begin explaining the way I was feeling.

Mom listened. Then she told me how she was feeling. She comes over to my house to do the dishes. To do the laundry. To help out in any way she can. She comes here to have something to do but more importantly  she does it for her baby, me. And she does it for Faith and Sidney. 

Those two sweet little angels deserve the best. They deserve to have a clean home. Clean clothes. 

Those two little girls deserve so much more. They deserve to be surrounded by positive happy people who get out there and live life.

My Mom was right.

The house got tidied. The laundry got put away. And me? I got dressed. Something I haven't done in the last three or four days. I even brushed my hair. 

I held my gratitude stone tonight. I am most grateful to my Mom for helping me see what was right. 

Tomorrow? I will start my day with magical footsteps and see how it goes from there.

Please throw some magic dust my way. 

 When was the last time you felt down? And what did you do to get back up?

Do You Believe In Magic?

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

Writer

I am going to share a paragraph by Rhonda which I believe summarizes this chapter.

"There is an exquisite feeling many of us had as children, that everything is good, that every day promises more excitement and adventure, and that nothing could ever thwart our joy for the magic of it all. But somehow as we grew into adults, responsibilities, problems, and difficulties took their toll on us, we became disillusioned, and the magic we once believed in as children faded and disappeared. It's one of the reasons why as adults we love to be around children so that we can experience that feeling we once had, even if it's just for a moment."

Rhonda Byrne

Page 2 of The Magic

I grew up in a home with an alcoholic father who virtually committed suicide when I was ten years old. Our family was close but we struggled financially for the next seven years.

I am having trouble remembering life as being magical and exciting. Please don't confuse that with happiness because I was very happy and I was surrounded by people who loved me.

I just don't recall feeling overly excitable or thrilled by the magic of life. I remember being scared, shy and alone in my thoughts.

But I have three wonderful granddaughters so I am able to fill my heart with joy as  I share their exuberance for life and belief in magic. 

As an adult, I have seen the magic of life and on a small scale, I have experienced it. 

I want to be filled with the awe and wonder that a magical life can bring. I want to feel excited by each new day. I want to have inner peace and happiness. I want my dreams to come true.

Do you believe in magic? 

Do you want to feel inner peace and happiness?

I would like to hear about it.

Or Does It?

Well, I hope you were thinking about your answers to the gratitude questions. I am ready to explain my answers.

Lets begin.

1. The cure for broken or difficult relationships? I agree. It is impossible to be angry with someone once you have listed off all the reasons you can think of to be grateful to that person. Day three was Magical Relationships. If you haven't completed this practice, I suggest you put it on your agenda for tomorrow. You will be happy that you did.
2. The cure for lack of health? I don't know about this one. I'll have to reevaluate it a later time not because I don't think it works but because there was no real opportunity to test it out.
3. The cure for lack of money? Again, I don't know if gratitude is the cure for this one but I do have to admit that gratitude has opened my eyes to see the abundance of money in my life.
•  I will give you a couple of examples from yesterday. I was out looking for a new table and chair set. I went back to Martins Furniture. The salesman gave me a five percent discount for being a repeat customer. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Money comes easily and frequently. 
• We also have a one in three chance of winning our purchase for free. Isn't that incredible. We will find out tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Money comes easily and frequently.  
• And lastly, we were driving home when we spotted something in the middle of the road. Michael slowed down, opened his door and picked it up. I know this is silly but, it was a new roll of duct tape. I don't know what its value is but again, thank you, thank you, thank you. Money comes easily and frequently.
4. Gratitude eliminates fear? Off the top of my head I have to say that I can't think of an example to prove this theory. Perhaps I just haven't had      the right circumstances.
5. Gratitude eliminates worry? I will have to dig deeper for the answer to this one.
6. Gratitude eliminates grief? The answer isn't jumping out at me. Get back to me later. Oh silly me! This question is pretty much the same as number seven.
7. Gratitude eliminates depression? I definitely agree. It is absolutely impossible to be depressed when you are grateful for all the people, events and things in your life.
8. Gratitude brings solutions to problems? I have to think more on this one. I guess Rhonda is referring to Day 7, The Magical Way Out of Negativity. It is on this day that we were to choose a problem or negative situation which we would like resolved and to list ten things we are grateful about it. Rhonda's reasoning is this; ''The answer to any negative situation you want to resolve is to focus concentrated gratitude on it until you feel better inside; then you will see the magic work its wonder in the outside world."
9. Gratitude brings the opportunities and wherewithal to realize your dreams? I don't have an opinion on this one yet.
10. Gratitude brings happiness? I agree one hundred percent. This is pretty much the same question as number seven and so is my answer.
11. Gratitude brings clarity? I have to think more about this one.
12. Gratitude brings patience? Yes it does. 
13. Gratitude brings kindness? Yes to this one too. Day 10, Magic  Dust Everyone teaches us to be grateful to everyone we encounter. As Philo of Alexandria is quoted to say, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
14. Gratitude brings compassion? Three times a charm. That is a yes. I'll bet you thought I skipped question number 12. Well I guess I did but I am addressing it here and now. I think patience, kindness, compassion and understanding all go together and are learned through Day 10's practice.
15. Gratitude brings understanding? Yes!
16. Gratitude brings peace of mind? And YES again! You will fee an overwhelming sense of peace of mind when you practice gratitude. When you truly feel gratitude deeply peace of mind will settle down upon you like a warm blanket on a cold night. I didn't know how else to explain it. I don't ever recall feeling peace of mind like I have since I started practicing gratitude.

On that note, I want more. And I sincerely hope that you do too.

How would you describe peace of mind? Please share in the comments section provided. Thanks

The Magic Never Ends

Day 30?

If we are counting, this would be day thirty. This blog was originally suppose to be only 28 days but it appears there is more to share than previously anticipated. Good or bad, you can decide. I choose good.

So let's continue.

I would like to share a quote that Rhonda has included in this chapter.

"I started out giving thanks for small things, and the moe thankful I became, the more my bounty increased. That's because what you focus on expands, and when you foccus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life."

Oprah Winfrey (B.  1954)

Media Personality and Business Woman

And this is what Rhonda Byrne has to say about gratitude;

"Gratitude is the cure for broken or difficult relationships, for lack of health or money, and for unhappiness. Gratitude eliminates fear, worry, grief, and depression, and brings happiness, clarity, patience, kindness, compassion , understanding and peace of mind. Gratitude brings solutions to problems and the opportunities and wherewithal to realize your dreams." Page 252 of The Magic.

Wow, she has a lot to say in that paragraph and for the most part, I agree. 

Let me explain.

1. The cure for broken or difficult relationships? I agree. 
2. The cure for lack of health? I don't know about this one. I'll have to reevaluate it a later time not because I don't think it works but because there was no real opportunity to test it out.
3. The cure for lack of money? Again, I don't know if gratitude is the cure for this one. 
4. Gratitude eliminates fear? Off the top of my head I have to say that I can't think of an example to prove this theory. Perhaps I just haven't had the right circumstances.
5. Gratitude eliminates worry? I will have to dig deeper for the answer to this one.
6. Gratitude eliminates grief? The answer isn't jumping out at me. Get back to me later.
7. Gratitude eliminates depression? I definitely agree.
8. Gratitude brings solutions to problems? I have to think more on this one.
9. Gratitude brings the opportunities and wherewithal to realize your dreams? I don't have an opinion on this one yet.
10. Gratitude brings happiness? I agree one hundred percent.
11. Gratitude brings clarity? I have to think more about this one.
12. Gratitude brings patience? Yes it does.
13. Gratitude brings kindness? Yes to this one too.
14. Gratitude brings compassion? Three times a charm. That is a yes.
15. Gratitude brings understanding? Yes!
16. Gratitude brings peace of mind? And YES again!

I will give you the reasons behind each of my answers on my next post.

What do think about Rhonda's comments on gratitude? Wrong!. Just kidding. There are no wrong answers. Just different opinions.

And I would very much like you to share your opinions. 

Your Magical Future

The 28 Day Journey has come to end and it leaves me feeling sad. What does my magical future hold? What will be my next steps?

I would like to share a quote that Rhonda Byrne has in this chapter.

"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."

Johannes A. Gaertner (1912-1996)

Professor, Theologian, Poet

Rhonda's advice is to move forward from here is to "maintain the foundation of gratitude you've built, and gradually keep building on it through increasing your depth of feeling. The more you practice gratitude, the deeper you will be able to feel it, and the more deeply you feel it, the less time you will need to give to it."

She also has some suggestions for practicing The Magic. 

Plus she advises us to make the Magic Rock a part of your daily live. We can carry it in our pockets as a constant reminder and put it on the nightstand to remind us to be grateful at the end and beginning of each day. 

She also suggests practicing Magic Dust on a daily basis. We "can sprinkle Magic Dust on everyone and everything!"

I am grateful:

1. For the perfect day. Everything went smoothly and happily. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. For the food I ate today. It is wonderful to be able to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into my meals and snacks.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. For the abundance of energy I had today because it meant I was able to get a far amount of cleaning done today.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For my car because it got me to the grocery store safely and conveniently.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5.  For the money I have received, the money I am receiving and the money I will receive. I am grateful for the groceries I was able to purchase today.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6. For my health. I am healthy  and it feels great.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. For the health and happiness of my loved ones. It is so wonderful to see everyone so lively and smiling.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. For my laptop. I love it so much. I love typing on it.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For the electricity that lights our home and runs our appliances.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. For the clothes we own that are in such good condition, clean, and neat because it contributes to our mental and emotional well being.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Gratitude Stone

I am most grateful for the scratched record in my head being thrown out. You know the one that keeps singing out to me, "I hate my life." It has been replaced with, "It is a great day to be alive." Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To be honest, I don't think the record has been trashed, just taken off the player. The "I hate my life" song came on a few days ago but I quickly replaced it with the "gratitude song." Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Conclusion

I have one chapter left in Rhonda Byrne's book titled The Magic.

I welcome all comments. Have you finished your 28 days yet?