Practical Magic Summer Series: Part One 🔆

As long as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with magic.

Maybe it was because my childhood felt small and uneventful in the quiet suburbs outside of Dallas. Maybe it was because I had, as my parents called it, a runaway imagination, and was often frustrated that others in my family seemed to prefer reality.

Regardless of why, I have always loved magic. Fantasy stories ruled my childhood. I was a Harry Potter kid to the extreme, relating deeply to Harry and his quest for love and acceptance. (I feel I can't mention these beloved childhood stories without stating that I do not support the transphobic views of the author.) I read every book I could involving magic and dragons and epic quests, and adventures. I fell in love with The Lord of the Rings (Aragorn and Arwen specifically, obviously) and The Mummy movies. (Maybe technically not magic movies, but Rick and Evie felt like magic to me.)

Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Don't even get me started. I watched her adventures with her devoted aunts and magical cat almost religiously. Mimicking her every move and outfit, if I could manage to get out of the house like her. I always felt that that was the life I was supposed to have, that I was supposed to be magical. And while I may have aged out of the dream of a Hogwarts letter or a secret magical family in another portal, deep down, I never truly aged out of the dream of a magical life.

But then adulthood arrived, like a truck barreling down the highway, and life became a little, or a lot, less magical. Bills, student loans, meetings, family obligations, chores, and everything else became too much to carry, and there was no room for anything that seemed frivolous and unnecessary.

And then, last fall in a late night quest for a holiday movie and a little nostalgia, I found my old copy of Practical Magic on DVD. And I fell in love with magic, whimsy and joy all over again. Was it dramatic? Probably. Do I care? Not one bit.

I fell in love with the actresses and their real, beautiful faces. The set, Whidbey Island, I mean,come on. The style of hair and clothes and interior decorating; and of the message of love, sisterhood, and magic.

I found a copy of the book and devoured that as well. A very different story than the movie (or vice versa I should say, as the book came first.) but a delighful and beautiful story on its own.

I decided that this magic is what was missing in my life; and I needed to do something about it. Obviously I can't just, conjour magic, in all senses that I may like, but I can make my day to day life a little more magical.

So the plan, my plan, is to take a little time each week, all summer long, to fine small, attainable ways to romanticize my life. I have a notebook, and a Pinterst board full of small and medium sized ideas to make this happen. Because while we may be surrounded by horrors, I refuse to give up on my childhood dreams of a little magic in my life.

If you can resonate with this at all, I hope you will join me on this journey to romanticize my life. I can use all the help, advice, and motivation that I can get, and it will be so much more fun to chase this dream with a little coven to call our own.

I think we could all do with a little more romance, and a little whimsy to keep the darkness at bay. I plan on writing once a week to fill you all in on the small ways that i'm bringing magic back into my life, and I hope you'll share with me as well.

So where should I start? Comment your ideas and we can do this together!

I'll leave you with this, my favorite Practical Magic Quote.

"There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for Certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep Rosemary by your garden gate. Add Pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender for luck. And fall in love whenever you can." - Alice Hoffman.

Love you all, let's make this a magical summer ✨

Alys