Tao Out Loud Newsletter Volume 2: The Magic of Support
Let's stay together! It's a social-distancing-free zone!
Welcome to Volume 2 of the Tao Out Loud newsletter where we’re finding everyday magic, every day! If you’ve come here by chance, or a friend passed this on, I hope you’ve come to stay. Sign up below so you don’t miss a thing.
Sections
Parcel Post (An essay that continues from volume to volume)
Overheard (Quotes from friends and strangers)
Small Moments, Big Magic (Tales from my every day)
I’m Crushing On (Things I love that you might like hearing about)
Bite Sized Bible Study (Wonders from the Deep)
Reflections (Inviting you into upliftment from the past month)
Love Letters (Thank yous and acknowledgements)
Guys, well…ladies, I’ve been so excited to get this mail-out into your hands this month. In the midst of the crazy, it’s been a pleasure to squirrel away little bits of good news (God knows we need it), good vibes and other scrumptiousness to share with you. And I mean truly, not in the kind of way that keeps subscribers interested or keeps the energy up or whatever. I’ve been chomping at the bit to just share space with you again, so here we go with a little of where we ended last time, and on we go…
Magic Deconstructed (cont’d from Volume 1)
…Five keys…to becoming a person who finds joy in the little things, who leans into the lovely and excavates treasures even in trial.
M
It was hands down the best peppermint chocolate chip ice-cream I had ever tasted: creamy but firm, a ‘chip’ for every lick, and perfectly flavoured right down to the waffle cone. The weather was ideal for such a treat too—unexpectedly low temperatures, but the sun blazed directly overhead in typical Floridian fashion. I nor the ice-cream knew what to do with this climatic oxymoron; me in a hastily grabbed sweater over unforgiving shorts. It feared much better, staying evenly edible all the way to the end. I’ve had inhibitions that melted faster.
We’d taken a road trip to Legoland for the littlest’s birthday. All around us folk weaved their way against the windchill to the city exhibits or coasters. Tinny tunes from a carousel wafted toward our table. The little tiger on my left arm smacked his lips and checked his reflection before planting a milky kiss mingled with face paint on my waiting cheek. Dwayne joked around with the twins, and as the sky smiled down on us, I snapped a thousand memories with the lens of a happy heart.
The truth is, I had no other camera with which to capture them; I’d forgotten to charge my phone and the battery gave up the ghost on the way. With no distractions, justifiable or otherwise and no choice but to stay together, I was able to fully engage with the day and my family. Sights, smells and sounds, things touched and things tasted came alive and increased in enjoyment the more attention I was able to pay them. It was a perfect example of the M of Magic in motion.
Mindfulness
By basic Dictionary.com definition, it is the art of being aware.
For me, mindfulness goes beyond simply taking notice to extracting whatever delight might be found in an experience . . . even those that promise much less gaiety than the one I’ve shared here. Even the most mundane, everyday routines can be mined for hidden treasure if you know what to look for.
To coin a phrase from The Quiet My Soul Devotional I’m working on,
Slow yourself down to your senses.
Recognize the cues your senses are giving you. Notice what sparks joy (to coin a Kondo-ism). Look past the pressure for the good in situations, and lay claim to that grace with wholehearted appreciation. Ask God to show you how His tender mercies daily meet you. That’s one way to find the kind of magic we’re looking for.
Continued in April’s newsletter with A…
“Life doesn’t just magically come to us. We have to make ourselves available to it. There is a lifestyle that allows us to receive the life of God. I know that if I will live more intimately with Jesus and follow his voice, I will have a much better chance of finding the life I long for. I know it.”
John Eldredge, Walking with God
“It’s amazing how many miracles we miss that God is doing in our lives because our head’s off somewhere else and we’re not paying any attention.”
Joyce Meyer, Talk it Out Podcast
I love you here by me, baby
You let my love fly free
I want you in my life for all timeCaught up in the rapture of love
Nothing else can compare
When I feel the magic of you
The feeling's always new
Caught up in the rapture of youAnita Baker, Caught Up in the Rapture
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.”
Eleonora Duse
The Magic of That Someone
We were back from our trip and well into science projects. It gives me one on one time with the twins. I stare at the older by two minutes as he sits typing out the steps he is taking to complete his own invention. A pair of old jeans and a cereal box become a messenger bag for holding recyclable items or anything else. I teach him a simple stitch and he sits on my lap executing it. He is forever precise, his skin is flawless, his mind — perfection. I can’t help but think forward to who he will be, and who may chance to love him.
The Magic of Sanctity
Have you ever completely ‘dissected’ a rose? It always felt like sacrilege to me, maybe a little bit cruel to taint such beauty, to ruin such delicacy, but when the ones from Valentine’s Day began to fold, curiosity got the better of me. I got goosebumps when I discovered roses have stamens inside. It just never occurred to me, though of course simple science says that’s the only way the plant can perpetuate. There’s a sanctity to how these precious parts remain hidden, covered and protected amidst those velvet petals. Darling, God’s made you to the highest standard of beckoning beauty, but the dearest and most delicate, most productive parts—heart, soul, spirit, mind—He’s yet preserved on the inside of you. Treat them with the honour they deserve, and require no less of those to whom you unveil them!
The Magic of Support
I consider the journey toward starting this newsletter. I think of the little lights that in one way or other have kept my own light burning and lit my path. It’s been about the magic of support in so many ways: behind the scenes pep-talks, shared social media posts, celebrated wins, watching women I admire take the plunge and manage to keep on swimming. I’ve taken pages from the books of women I don’t even know, like Erin Moon and Jacey Verdicchio, whose cleverness and consistency made me believe this was possible for me, and whose support of each other and many others indirectly bolstered me too. This I’ve found to be true:
…sometimes seeing yourself by seeing others, allows just the right space for introspection and consequently extropection towards firm solutions and conclusions.
Jacinth Howard, thelightinthecracks.com
And oh, what extraordinary magic that can be!
Support Looks Like
This comment by Heather:
This project by Liana Hallett of @pasyonart:
This Stay Home icon (nuff said on that topic):
These sumptous life lessons from an excellent writer >
This podcast on our topic, by Christy Wright of The Business Boutique >
This video and quote by Kelly Bandas >
The higher the leggings, the closer to Jesus.
Kelly Bandas
This reminder via a planner from Morgan:
These pretty purple soaps, all things considered. I’ve never tried them but I’m all for buying local. Let’s hear it for bougie Bajan handwashing >
This less-ipe for flying fish tacos (I have no photo, sorry, they disappeared too fast) >
So if ever you fry flying fish and happen to have some left over (I know. It’s unlikely but stay with me), the thing to try is flying fish tacos. Here’s the rough overview: I took soft taco shells, brushed them with coconut oil and browned them a little on a skillet. I put some spinach on each tortilla. Then I cut the fillets into strips and added them on top. followed by chopped tomatoes, red cabbage, caramelized onions, a little Parmesan cheese and that avocado salsa from last newsletter. Finished it off with a little homemade coleslaw dressing. Mm, mm mm. Mexican rice on the side with corn and vegetables.
Guys I don’t have to tell you. My non-Bajans, you can try it with any white fish or even shrimp.
This eye candy: tortuous morsels by The Bake Ninja and this amazing way to preserve bouquets by Soil and Soul Studio >
This reminder >
John 20:27-29
Remember that time when Thomas refused to believe that Jesus was back from the dead; and instead of rebuking him, Jesus let Thomas reach out and touch his scars?
The kindness of Jesus in that moment has always left me flabbergasted. Thomas’ doubt earned him an experience of intimacy with Jesus that the others didn’t have. And it offers me hope that in the moments when I feel most weak, vulnerable and put off, when it’s hard to trust and hard to believe I will see God show up, that He is neither intimidated or bothered. His fullness has already made accommodation for my incapacity. His wounds remind me that He knows the feelings of my frailty, but because He has overcome, so can we.
Before you go, remember…
God can cause even desert places to bloom for you.
Dear Early Adopters: Yes, I’m thanking you again because I know some of you brought your friends, shared our little newsletter, and generally have championed this cause with such loving encouragement that I am just chuffed.
Dear Early Majority (which is an actual thing): If you missed the first newsletter but jumped in for this next go around, this is for you. Thanks for taking the subtle hints and being willing to do a taste test on the glue of this envelope (so to speak lol). Now the subscription list is double the size for Vol 2.
Dear Daneisha: You’re a magical maven of support and Volume 1 felt your fire from jump. Thank you so much!
Dear Samantha: You were my 22nd subscriber and therefore a winner! I hope you really enjoy your bookmark, as much as I enjoyed crafting it for you in time for it to hit that midnight train to Bim. Talk about everyday magic and perfect timing — it’s like God set up special delivery just for you!
Dear Chick-Fil-A: God bless and keep you, every time I think you can’t get better . . . man!
Dear Readers of my latest blog: Part Two of the Engineered Tension series is up, and I’m sorry to say, there’s going to be a Part Three. Thanks for hanging in there. No pun intended.
Dear Everyone on the frontlines of the C-word fight: You are forever in my thoughts and prayers. May your spirits stay buoyant, your bodies be fortified, and God grant you His strength and wisdom every day.
See you all again on April 22. Feel free to share your thoughts, or this newsletter with a few friends you think may like to receive it.