What a year 2020 has been. I feel like the year I kicked off in January has in so many ways shifted. The plans and goals I laid out, they’ve been disrupted (and in some ways, accelerated.) Very little is as it was 6 months ago. For the first time in all the years that I’ve selected a word of the year, I’ve made a decision to add a sub-word MID YEAR.
Yep, we’re adding a new word. What’s interesting is that I attended one of Jacki Carr’s “virtual hikes” back in April that was all about choosing a new word for the year, and I felt very firmly that LIGHT would continue to be my word. In my head, my 2020 word still had prominent position and was worthy of focus.
Little did I know a few months later I’d reflect on that conversation and make an addition. So with that, let’s talk about magic, folks.
As we get started talking about the motivation for this word choice, let’s not move too quickly that we skim over the obvious. This is the same image I used in January when I talked about LIGHT. The glitter was there in January and it’s there now. Maybe magic was always there for 2020 from the very beginning…
I’ll define magic in the text that follows, but I think it’s also important to point out that I’m a fan of the mystical. I love horoscopes, astrology, psychics, and tarot. Energy healing, chakras, and crystals are also rad. Yesterday (06/21/20) was one of the biggest cosmic days of the year (a solar eclipse coinciding with the summer solstice), and trust me, it was not lost on me that it all happened in Cancer (the opposing sign of Capricorn.) Yes, I have a lot of woo in me, and I do wholeheartedly believe there are magical things happening all around us each and every day. I also believe you have to pay attention to see them…
Ok, let’s define magic and how this five-letter word became my subword for 2020.
MAGIC (noun): the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces
This year has been a whirlwind. In my heart of hearts, I can’t believe that it’s been happening to bring any of us pain. In 2020, we’ve been confined to our homes. So many have suffered from COVID-19, and hundreds of thousands have died from it. I lost my job. The unemployment numbers have exploded. Devastating police brutality has been uncovered, and the most impassioned black rights movement has emerged that I’ve seen in my lifetime.
There is pain. There is division. There is unrest.
I want you to look closer. Really lean into all the details of what’s happening, and you’ll see it. There’s magic. I hope you see it.
I have to believe that all that is happening in this world is truly happening for us. It has to be. While it may not show up in the format that we’d expect, it is bringing great change and great illumination to things that need to be reviewed.
Looking at myself: I have never been much of a germaphobe. I haven’t done an exceptional job washing my hands after being in public spaces; now, I am the queen of the pre-surgical level hand-scrubbing after I’ve touched anything outside the home. This will have a positive impact on my health for the duration of my life. I’ve also admittedly never spent a ton of time learning about black history and racism, and now my eyes are wide open. Lastly, I have an opportunity to find a new job right now. My job was eliminated, opening up a big world of possibilities.
There is greater magic at play right now, and I have to believe it to be so.
MAGIC (noun): used in magic or working by magic; having or apparently having supernatural powers (i.e. a magic wand)
There’s something nostalgic about magic as well. Whether it be my affection for Cinderella and those magic slippers or the whimsy of The Wizard of Oz, there’s something comforting in knowing that it can be real.
This, my friends, is where I want to talk a little about intuition. We all come to the table with this ability and with a knowing of what we are doing, a keen sense of awareness, and a compass within to guide us. Somewhere along the way, we stop listening. We stop allowing its guidance. We believe that logic makes more sense than that internal voice that lives in your gut.
Part of this focus on the word will be to allow my intuition to guide me. The more I can tap into my internal compass, the more I know I will be making good decisions as I move forward in the unknown that is the 2nd half of 2020.
Here’s a secret I’ll share with you: The more you start listening to your intuition, the more it will guide you. Let’s start listening, y’all…
MAGIC (noun): something that has a delightfully unusual quality
Speaking of that 2020 slow down, never in my entire life have I had this much unscheduled time on my hands. For the first time since I was a child, I often find myself in a state of wonder.
I spend every morning writing in a journal, pouring out my thoughts and ideas. I do this while sitting on my patio and listening to the birds sing, feeling the cool breeze blow by, even on a summer morning. There is something about that moment every morning that is drenched in magic and truly incites delight in my heart.
This unusual time can sometimes feel worrisome and stressful but in these morning moments, it has somehow transformed into a time of pure joy. There is no other way I can earnestly describe it other than calling it magic.
MAGIC (verb): to produce, remove, or influence by magic
I also truly believe that each of us has the ability to manifest amazing things in our lives. We’ve all had those moments where we’re thinking of someone, and the phone dings with a text message from that very person or you’ve been writing down an intention for weeks and suddenly the opportunity you’ve been dreaming about occurs.
I’m leaning into intention and manifestation in 2020, and I can’t wait to share with you what I’m able to create in the year ahead. As I’ve slowed down tremendously, I’m starting to see it all unfold and capturing it in my morning gratitude practice.
When you are grateful for what is happening in your life, guess what happens? You have more things to be grateful for…
MAGIC (adjective): very effective in producing results, especially desired ones (i.e. a magic ingredient)
In my current state of unemployment, I have to believe that the outcome of everything I am going through will be magnificent. I tend to be optimistic, even when most people can’t see through the clouds. Maybe that’s my superpower: I can see the light in places that seem super dark to most.
I’ll be honest with you guys, the job market is TOUGH right now. Positions you apply for are suddenly no longer available due to consolidations and corporate budget cuts related to COVID; positions you apply for already have 350 applicants. Standing out in the crowd is tough. Referrals are critical.
It’s going to take a referral. It’s going to take some planetary alignment. It’s going to take some magical intervention. And, that’s exactly what I’m counting on to show up.
MAGIC (adjective): wonderful; exciting
I’m not willing to let go of the possibility that lies ahead in 2020. There is something richly wonderful that is going to happen. If you don’t lean into that and if you don’t believe it to be true, it may never appear. I’m betting that 2020 is still going to be my year, even with all the hiccups we’ve experienced along the way.
I can’t wait to reflect on 2020 and to look back at this pivotal year that changed my life for the better.
xoxo