Look for Magic. It’s Always There.

At Tengboche — a 350-year-old monastery situated at nearly 13,000 ft — we meditated in front of a colossal, two-story-tall, golden Buddha statue richly adorned.

No roads lead to Tengboche.
No machinery could have carried it.

I sat there stunned: “How did this massive statue get here?”

The question dissolved into a feeling, a knowing — Life is full of mysteries we are not meant to solve. Wonder is nourishment. It is a necessity.

Magic is not extraordinary.
Magic is deeply ordinary, but you must be present to see it.

Our trip to Utah felt magical. And that’s probably why I kept wanting to push through the pain. To stubbornly push forward through half-day hikes just to behold the beauty and wonder of the natural environment that has become Arches National Park. 

Every turn took my breath away. Every scramble revealed a new delight unfolding before me. There was magic in every step. From the kind stranger whose outstretched hand was there just when I needed it, to the whispers from my ancestors on the wind, to the soul-touching memories we took from that place. Magic is all around us.

Mindful Moment of Reflection:

• What moments of magic (large or small) have you witnessed this year?