Magic
Wizards like Hogwarts' Graduates do not have the monopoly on Magic. I have been in the presence of moments of true wonder, and recall feeling awed. I am now reeling from one of those, when my doctor decreed, "No more dairy!", and I complied, only to have several life changing events happen- I awoke the next morning without swollen, red itchy hands, stopped having cramping bowels, like I had just awoken from a nightmare. This is now the third day of relief from that itching skin that I believed was a result of arthritis and aging, that was really DAIRY allergy. I am amazed at how much more I can expect to "undo" in the coming month, if this is what happens in a day or two!
I sat at my Opa's feet as a child, watching the magic of his yellowed fingers cut silver camel paper into ballerinas. I listened and watched my mother create ballets and wonders of art that made you cry to see them performed. She made children, mothers, dancers into artists. No one was exempt. Co-workers and parents became her followers, loyal to word beyond the tomb. Her school and system lives today.
I recall Oma's magic. My Grandmother was an inventor. When I was small I recall playing a game with her, she called "Flip Trip". She coerced some one to cut dowel rods into halves and small pieces, which we played as chips on the table. We held maybe 30 in both hands, spilled them onto the table, and if they landed flat side down, they were cars. If they landed rocking, they were boats. It then was the game to "snap" two boats or two cars together, and "win" them to your pile. There were other rules, colored pieces, and if one piece stood on end, we all grabbed as many as we could! She put her hand on the front of the box, and now that my non-dairy swollen hand is back, it looks just like hers! She marketed this game to all the companies, but none were interested. Then came the elections. Eisenhower, I might add, it was a while back, and she decided a different approach might win the game companies. She came out with a new version of the game. We all played "Convention" . Same dowel sticks, cut into pieces, but now the ones flat were the Republicans, the rocky ones the Democrats, and the colored ones the Independents. Now we snapped rocking ones against the flat ones. If one stood up, it was the President. Interesting, but no game company bought her great game. We had boxes and boxes of this game, played often, and gave them to friends for birthdays and Christmases. It was a treat to be able to have a "family" game. After a while, everyone had one, and it became old.
Oma also had an apron invention. She had flat steel rings made, and took linen, sewed pockets and a casing on one side(that is a thin seam open on both ends) which then could be slipped onto the steel ring. When you needed an apron, you simply "snapped" on the apron. Since the ring was loose, you could slide it around your neck, under your arms or waist. The apron was just a square piece of cloth, with or without pockets, any design you want, festive or plain. Oma made plenty of these, and again we gave these as gifts to all friends and foes alike. Oma marketed this idea to companies, none of which took interest. I found several springs in the basement the other day, while looking for some embroidery hoops for Erin, and thought no one would ever know what these are, if I don't write a story about it in my blog!!!!!! As a child I thought it was so utterly wild, to see only my Oma is this neat apron, that she could snap on and off while she washed dishes or cooked, and could pass it to me, while I helped, without messing with tieing or untieing. Washing the apron was so easy, since you slipped it off, and simply slipped on another one.
My Mother showed me to open my eyes and really see what was around me. When I taught Ballet, she would have me look at the students again and again, and really understand what was happening with balance, coordination, posture, and thinking. When we went to the park, we would listen and look at the beauties of nature. When we listened to music there was always more than sound and noise to hear, and when we looked at pictures there was composition and contrasts and balance. The layers of life are what make for the magic in living. We can all find them, even if there are no magic wands around.
I sat at my Opa's feet as a child, watching the magic of his yellowed fingers cut silver camel paper into ballerinas. I listened and watched my mother create ballets and wonders of art that made you cry to see them performed. She made children, mothers, dancers into artists. No one was exempt. Co-workers and parents became her followers, loyal to word beyond the tomb. Her school and system lives today.
I recall Oma's magic. My Grandmother was an inventor. When I was small I recall playing a game with her, she called "Flip Trip". She coerced some one to cut dowel rods into halves and small pieces, which we played as chips on the table. We held maybe 30 in both hands, spilled them onto the table, and if they landed flat side down, they were cars. If they landed rocking, they were boats. It then was the game to "snap" two boats or two cars together, and "win" them to your pile. There were other rules, colored pieces, and if one piece stood on end, we all grabbed as many as we could! She put her hand on the front of the box, and now that my non-dairy swollen hand is back, it looks just like hers! She marketed this game to all the companies, but none were interested. Then came the elections. Eisenhower, I might add, it was a while back, and she decided a different approach might win the game companies. She came out with a new version of the game. We all played "Convention" . Same dowel sticks, cut into pieces, but now the ones flat were the Republicans, the rocky ones the Democrats, and the colored ones the Independents. Now we snapped rocking ones against the flat ones. If one stood up, it was the President. Interesting, but no game company bought her great game. We had boxes and boxes of this game, played often, and gave them to friends for birthdays and Christmases. It was a treat to be able to have a "family" game. After a while, everyone had one, and it became old.
Oma also had an apron invention. She had flat steel rings made, and took linen, sewed pockets and a casing on one side(that is a thin seam open on both ends) which then could be slipped onto the steel ring. When you needed an apron, you simply "snapped" on the apron. Since the ring was loose, you could slide it around your neck, under your arms or waist. The apron was just a square piece of cloth, with or without pockets, any design you want, festive or plain. Oma made plenty of these, and again we gave these as gifts to all friends and foes alike. Oma marketed this idea to companies, none of which took interest. I found several springs in the basement the other day, while looking for some embroidery hoops for Erin, and thought no one would ever know what these are, if I don't write a story about it in my blog!!!!!! As a child I thought it was so utterly wild, to see only my Oma is this neat apron, that she could snap on and off while she washed dishes or cooked, and could pass it to me, while I helped, without messing with tieing or untieing. Washing the apron was so easy, since you slipped it off, and simply slipped on another one.
My Mother showed me to open my eyes and really see what was around me. When I taught Ballet, she would have me look at the students again and again, and really understand what was happening with balance, coordination, posture, and thinking. When we went to the park, we would listen and look at the beauties of nature. When we listened to music there was always more than sound and noise to hear, and when we looked at pictures there was composition and contrasts and balance. The layers of life are what make for the magic in living. We can all find them, even if there are no magic wands around.
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