A View From My Writing Table - April 2025

Glimpses of the magic of each month

This year I am sharing where I find the extraordinary in everyday life in my effort to ensure that magic lives on and thrives for me throughout the year. This View from My Writing Table is an effort to do just that. Magic is all around. It’s in the everyday; it’s in our hearts. Its in the moments that can be missed if not paying close attention. Capturing glimpses from my desk is my way of paying close attention.

I look out and my first thought is, “Ugh, what a mess.” Dog-proofed raised beds. Bare spots from feet, paws, and lack of rain. A fire pit that needs some tending by tonight. Trellises ready but nothing for a long time.

The magic that changes this space into a lush garden and resting place is the most consistent magic I know. It happens regardless of my desire, my intentions, my work, my effort. Even just a bit of light rain magically makes all of the green even greener.

All of the perennials and trees in the garden don’t need my help getting started. They need their rest and recovery during the dark, cold months to prepare for their new growth when the light and temperature conditions are right for them. They’re constantly growing and adjusting as they confront different challenges, just like us.

And, the seeds I planted? Yes, I do have an intention, a hope that they will become vegetables and fruits, but my only job is to nurture them — water them, check on them, care for them, talk to them. It’s an act of hope, respect, connection, and meditation.

The magic that changes this space into a lush garden and resting place for humans and more than humans is taken care of by the seeds and plants and their relationship with the Earth and the Sun. The magic of change is visible in this garden, every day. These changes are so interesting to me because, for the plants, I suspect they are adaptive changes (see this month’s first post, adaptive changes are the incremental changes that come from living) and for me, they feel more like transformative changes (sudden and dramatic). I enjoy watching and thinking about all of these changes, and feel so fortunate to be able to do so.

Take good care and consider looking for the magic of change around you.