50 Stories::Everyday Magic

Everyday Magic. I bet I’ve written a dozen posts over the years on this very topic.

Magic is usually defined as something having or someone working with seemingly mysterious or supernatural properties. So when it comes to this subject of this post, scientifically speaking, there is absolutely nothing mysterious about these little water droplets or how they are formed. But magical can also mean wonder, enchantment, and delight which is how I like to think of it. 

This kind of magic is easy to miss though. Baskets of laundry, sinks full of dishes, floors that need swept, bills that need to be paid…all of those things scream for attention in the course of our days. But that’s why I think this kind of magic is so important. To take five or ten minutes to notice the orderly arrangement of these tiny water droplets around a leaf. To allow myself to feel astonished by the way the camera lens turns them into little orbs of light. To take a moment to acknowledge the wonders of nature and the brilliant design of our Creator. To spend a moment in deep gratitude for all of these gifts. 

Everyday magic. Little moments of the extraordinary in an ordinary day. Little gifts from a good and loving God.

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Our goal should be to perceive the extraordinary in the ordinary, and when we get good enough, to live vice versa, in the ordinary extraordinary ~ Eric Booth

Standing in the kitchen Sunday morning, I could see it from the corner of my eye…there was a subtle glistening coming from my back porch.

After breakfast, I walked outside to get a closer look and to my delight, I noticed that my Nandina’s were covered with tiny, spherical dewdrops.

I was so enamored by these enchanting little orbs that I decided to Google it, and I discovered that these are not actually dew drops at all.  Whereas dewdrops are created by the condensation of water vapor in the air, these droplets are actually fluid that has been exuded from inside of the plant in a process that is known as ‘guttation’.

Normally, water vapor is released through the process of transpiration where it evaporates from the surface of leaves of vascular plants.  But at night, these openings (stomata) are typically closed and so when the soil moisture is high, water pressure builds up.  This pressure then forces some of the water to exude through special glands (hydathodes) on the tips or edges of the leaves.  And when the nighttime humidity is high, as it has been the past several days, it creates these magical little spheres.

OK.  So I may have gone a little overboard and geeked out on Botany a bit.  But here’s the deal…knowing the scientific explanation behind this phenomenon does not…even a tiny bit… take away from the magic and wonder I felt Sunday morning.  If anything, it feels even more astonishing!

Moments like this are what I have come to embrace as everyday magic.  Wonders of nature that reflect not only the brilliant design of our Creator but also His goodness in sharing with us these extraordinary gifts to delight our senses.

In a month that is devoted to gratitude, I can’t help but be grateful for these wonders of nature. But I am also grateful for this hobby which has taught me to see more clearly.  Thankful for this practice that helps me notice the extraordinary in my ordinary days and brings so much joy into my life.