Friday, February 20, 2009


Pure Magic

I sat in traffic on a rainy day, absorbed in browsing through my treasured album of mental pictures, searching wistfully for a fair and carefree place, a moment in time or imagination to pluck from my memory and disappear inside, far away from the gloom of the unfolding afternoon. Lost in thought and miles away, I slowly turned to my left and... I saw him. Standing alone in the middle of the asphalt ocean of a bleakly empty car park, like a perfect pearl pendant on a cashmere grey sweater. A Seagull. Hundreds of miles from the sea. As astonishing a sight as a kelpie in the supermarket or a unicorn on Main Street. He calmly held my gaze for a moment or two before stretching out his grey white wings, lifting up in the air and flying away through the mist. I watched him go in open-mouthed amazement. No one else seemed to notice and I wondered for a moment if indeed, only I had seen him, if he had popped through some enchanted portal as a feathered epistle, a reminder to me alone. If so, I am grateful he took the time. For the sight of him was a lovely gesture and served as an admonishment to me to always remember the pure magic that is in floating about in the world for those with eyes to see, that even though a dismal rain may be falling all around, somewhere a warm wind is blowing and sea gulls are calling out to each other over glittering blue- green waters.
How could I have allowed the gloom of the day to overtake me?

37 comments:

  1. I've asked myself that same question many times. And I feel foolish then that it takes only a moment of seening/hearing/thinking something can lift me out of that place! Have a beautiful weekend.

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  2. We have them here, in central Illinois. It's such a fascinating thing to look up and see them gliding through the air above the parking lots. They like to perch on lamp posts.

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  3. A gift from nature to calm and console. Smooth seas ahead.

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  4. As astonishing a sight as a kelpie in the supermarket or a unicorn on Main Street. Great...I, as you may know:) very often escape like this...there are goblins ,fairies,mice,etc etc everywhere.Keep the magic going...
    Last night there was a news item...two seals escaped from an animal centre . Then in my mind whitin a minute there is "the tale of the two seals" a story to be told!:)Have a wonderful weekend..

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  5. Pamela.....
    One only has to take the time to pause and look around to know life is enchanted if we allow it be.

    Carol

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  6. Don't chastise yourself, Pamela. It was a momentary lapse into gloom, I am sure. And if you hadn't sunk quite so low, the soar inspired by gentleman gull would not have been quite as high. The rhyme and reason in life is all knowing.

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  7. Hello P & E,

    I envy your ability to see the wonder in things - even seagulls! Sadly, my memory of seagulls when we lived in St. Andrews, was of screeching cries awakening everyone far too early and domestic refuse bags being torn open and the contents strewn along the street! I know, I'm miserable -but it's true!

    Hold on to the wonder!

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  8. Oh, it's those magical moments that keep me going. One only has to open mind, eyes and heart to find them...and they're around every corner!

    Have a magical weekend,
    Paula

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  9. Pamela - the photograph is pure magic - the sight of the seagull - well just one of nature's magical moments - they happen all the time but you have to be a certain type of person to see them.

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  10. Oh Pamela this was beautiful! Sometimes these little sights are for our eyes only to see. I like to believe they are angels watching over us. Have a golden weekend! xoxo

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  11. I have a stone on one of my home candle centers...it says remember...I let it be a touchstone reminder...you are here, you are alive, notice, notice what is around you, notice love, appreciate...
    I need the reminder, no doubt, I can get caught up in life...and miss life! Thank you for you reminder to pay attention! <3

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  12. If we take the time to notice, the magic moments are always there!
    x

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  13. Birds can make the spirits soar, they can be very uplifting, the same can be said about your writing skills. I particularly love the sound of birds wings when the air is still.

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  14. Beautiful post! Have a lovely weekend!!

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  15. I love the sound of seagulls and would love to live by the sea.

    Yours must have been symbolic and just for you methinks.

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  16. So wonderful to be able open our eyes and see the magic through the grey. What a special reminder!

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  17. A beautiful moment - and a gift to have seen that emissary from the sea!

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  18. magic indeed! I love it when we are stopped in our everyday and taken in a most unexpected way! - it is fuller when we take a moment to really see...

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  19. So uplifting, Pamela, and a call not to let the 'gloom of the day overtake' one. Thank you.

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  20. A reminder to seek the magic in simple things. A few hours ago I found a little patch of vivid green moss that seemed suddenly to sprout on a paved path. I'm sure it wasn't there yesterday but it must have been. Today I needed to see it.

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  21. What a beautiful post. Your word pictures almost make me feel that I saw it too.
    Karen

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  22. There are loads of seagulls in Edinburgh, but we are very close to the sea. In large numbers they can be very annoying but individually there is something about them, they have such presence...

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  23. What imagery!

    We have seagulls appear in Central KY every now and then. I saw one last Spring whilst in the Kroger parking lot. I, like you, wasn't entirely sure if I was actually seeing what I thought I was seeing.

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  24. I live near the ocean, so I see seagulls all the time. I wonder what lead the one you saw so far from shore?

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  25. What gifts Nature can share to help us escape from triviality and melancholy.
    To soar amongst the clouds must truly be fascinating.
    A pleasurable post dear Pamela.
    xo Susan

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  26. This is beautiful Pamela~ I love the sound of a seagull. We have plenty of them around here and really- I never tire of them.

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  27. Isn't it lovely when things like that happen. I stil get a buzz when the gulls land in the road outside and I'm less than a mile from the beach. Once one had obviously raided a bin because I had KFC dropped onme. I yelled up to it "what no chips?" LOL

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  28. A truly magical moment and I agree with Cait definately a special sign for you alone.
    Growing up close to the sea, we had a seagull that used to land on the wall by the back door and shout to be fed her breakfast of bacon rind!

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  29. Seabirds have mystical attributes..kittiwakes were once thought to be the souls of unborn children...
    but in Devon, they are considered a pest and steal food from people's hands.(Mind you,people eating large meals as they walk along the road deserve no less)
    I suppose it all depends on the time and the place and yours was a mythical visit.

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  30. What a wonderful, magical moment you experienced with your special seagull. Birds can make your spirits soar. I love to hear geese passing over head - the flap of their wings and their co-ordinated cry - so thrilling.

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  31. How do any of us allow that to happen? You remind us of the magic of a simple day, a beautiful bird, the changing of the seasons, a pet's unconditional love.

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  32. And BTW, did anyone mention that somehow you look like MS? I just noticed with this post.

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  33. Thank you for sharing this crystalline moment. Lovely.

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  34. I wish I could send some of these graceful birds to you... They get a bad rap .. but I believe many people don't stop to see all the good they do... they clean up our messes...... I personally love them.. glad you appreciate them too!!

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!