Camp B, Day Nine: Magic Day

Camp B has been so good for us, in a way I had never anticipated. Sickness has caused us to set aside our expectations. We had a full 'camp' schedule that got thrown out the window sometime earlier this week, yet we are all still having a great time noticing the common thread that presents itself on any given day. It is a great exercise in theme learning.

Today, both boys were sick. I suggested 'Reading and Writing Day,' because I had found some unused workbooks in my attempt to organize the boys' room in preparation for Big B's journey into kindergarten. Big B had a different idea: "Can we do Magician's Day instead?" It is, after all, the New Moon; a magical day to be sure. So today, without expectation or agenda, we experienced Camp B, Day Nine: Magic Day.

We looked up simple magic tricks on the internet, and this one caught our attention. We took a sponge and put it in the bottom of an opaque cup. We then put an ice cube on top of the sponge, and filled a clear glass pitcher with about half a cup of water.
I told Big B that a huge part of pulling off a magic trick is believability--not to be confused with lying, as this is for entertainment--and we rehearsed his 'shtick:' "My breath is soooo cold, I can freeze water just by breathing on it!" He poured the water into the pre-sponged opaque cup.
He then breathed over the cup, with great gusto, 'freezing' the water as the sponge absorbed it.Of course, when he poured out the water, it was an ice cube--proving to his captive audience that his breath was, indeed, cold enough to freeze water.

Our next bit of magic came from a good friend and neighbor who is an acupuncturist and Oriental medicine practitioner. She mixed up a magic potion of herbs specifically for little b, after asking careful questions and listening to me describe his symptoms over the past few days.
Big B is a compassionate and caring big brother, as well as a curious and creative scientist. Mixing the tincture with juice and preparing a dosage of 'magic potion' for little b was a perfect job for him.
We went out in our backyard to explore our own everyday magic. Big B spied this mushroom hiding under our ginger, and he thought it must be a magical little thing, as it just appeared out of nowhere!
Another special delivery of magic came from our dear friend and midwife, who brought us copal, a Mayan incense burnt during the highest of rituals. As I had every intention of attending our monthly New Moon Circle, this was a perfectly magical and timely gift.
However, by day's end, everyone in my little house was sick but me, so I nestled in to take care of my sweet family. Sickness can bring some bad funk into a home, so we cleared the energy with a nod to some good magic from the New Moon Circle, sage smudging.I am hopeful that tomorrow, the last day of Camp B, will bring us the same lack of expectation that today brought. Without expectations, we can simply enjoy each other, in the moment we're experiencing. When we are able to see the beauty in the ordinary, in the mushroom outside after the rain, in thoughtful gifts from good friends, in snuggling sick ones on the couch...these are the moments when the real magic happens.