Thursday, November 1, 2007

An Ordinary Life of Un-Missed Magic

When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive -
to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
-Marcus Aurelius

I cast a long-legged shadow across the Kansas plains today as I took a walk and drew deep, full breaths. I like the openness here. I like the music of the prairie. I like the wail of the wind at your back. I like that I can swallow and absorb the very winds God stirred into being.

There's something quietly powerful about this place. About packing a picnic dinner and pulling over alongside a deserted farm and spreading your mother's quilt over last season's wheat. About tucking your knees to your chest and eating a ham sandwich and watching the sun sink like a stone. It was romantically magical - like a swarm of fireflies or a glittering, watery rainbow - and over and over I thought of that line from my favorite Jamie Cullum song: how 'when I look back on my ordinary, ordinary life, I see so much magic 'though I missed it at the time'.

And I don't ever, ever want to be a magic misser. I want to be the girl who tucks her knees underneath her chin and breathes and thinks and enjoys and loves as the sun falls to its golden bed beneath a world of wind and windmills. I want to be that girl... the girl with an ordinary life of un-missed magic.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can imagine being there on the Kansas prairies with you..munching on a ham sandwich and taking in all that vast space and feeling God's love envelope us!
Oh I am still with you...I too don't want to miss any of the magic.

Essential Oil Premier University said...

You can BE THAT GIRL!! Nothing is impossible - starting NOW!!

Blessings,

Sher

Anonymous said...

I found your site a few weeks ago. Ironic that we must have criss-crossed paths sometime this week. :) I have been blogging about Kansas, too.

http://www.myspace.com/gardenbee1

It's a small world.

And you are a BIG treasure! Thank you for sharing.

Adrienne said...

Beautiful words, wonderful pictures. I, too, don't want to miss the magic. I just walked to the end of life with a dear older friend and I'm so impressed with the magic that surrounded her life. Thank you for sharing from your heart. I look forward to more. ~Adrienne~

Terri Steffes said...

Lovely photos. I believe anyone as open as you will never miss the magic. It is when we close our eyes to possibilities that the magic is lost.

Unknown said...

Brin, you ARE that girl, living a dream and sharing the magic! You give us all hope that we too can still chase a dream! I love these photos and this post is powerful, I think your writing even better on the road!

Anonymous said...

You Go, Girl!!

You're not missing a thing!!! In fact, you are helping many to open our eyes to the lovliness and magic all around us.

Continued blessings to you on your Great Adventure~
Cindy

p.s. Do you remember that song by Steven Curtis Chapman . . .

Saddle up your horses
We've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder
Of GOD's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader
Into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other
This is the Great Adventure!

Come on get ready
For the ride of your life
Gonnna leave long faced religion
In a cloud of dust behind and
Discover all the new horizons
Just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for


We'll travel over mountains so high
We'll go through valleys low
Still through it all we'll find
This is the greatest journey
The human heart will ever see
The love of GOD will take us
Far beyond our wildest dreams!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ride on Adventure Girl!!!!

Rox said...

Keep on keeping on..........
I am enjoying the ride : )

Roxanne

Lallee said...

We were studying Solomon this week in Bible study from Ecclesiastes. He was so repetitious in referring to everything as wearisome, day in and day out meaninglessness, when he had everything. The Cullum verse you shared is a wonderful wake up call not to miss the glory we have the opportunity to witness each day. Your pictures are beautiful, BTW. Blessed trekking to you, Brin!

Anonymous said...

You are that girl. Good on ya !

Anonymous said...

Amazing! Thanks for sharing. Hope Jamie is as interesting as you when she grows up. Auntie M