Magic Monster!

Kathrine Switzer is the woman I was reading last week. She was the first woman to run the Boston (marathon), wearing a number. There is a nice made-for-the-movies type story in there, back in 1967 this was, but as you are all aware, I am not good with links and reviews and such like. She claims that when her father, in a bid to dissuade her from something in school, gave her running, it felt like magic. She felt that as long as she ran everyday, things felt magical.

I am old. As the hills. I know those of you who are older will be quick to point out that you are older. Yes, of course, I know that. My mum is some thirty years older than I am (twenty eight to be precise). My sis is also older than I am (by three years). But I am sort of mentally old, weary at times. I guess it is because of all the thoughts that crowd around in this head of mine. Or perhaps because of the juggle through the day, the crazy schedule. The husband is older. Not just the actual three years, but body-mind-weariness-wise. I think his age is entirely attributable to his work schedule. But hey! thats for him to figure out.

As I was reading Switzer and thinking about life and feeling old and weary and so on, I realised something. At times I feel super duper young. Let me, at length, explain how. As you are all well aware that I love words, I love blathering on and so forth, am sure you will stay here long enough to hear (read) me out.

I find magic. I feel magic. Not in the P.C.Sorcar 'Water of India' stuff - although, if in the mood, I love that stuff too. We went once, the three of us, in Mumbai. It was total fun, especially the part where his wife and his daughter who look like identical twins with bad hair-dos from Long Island, NY, showed up. But magic in random things. To whit.

I was watching my last week's blister. Nursing it. Suddenly, before my very eyes, the skin formed on top of it and its smooth as a baby's bottom and all healed and nice. Nasty blood blister too it was. I had a second of magical feeling there. How can my atoms be put together in such a manner that I can heal myself? Amazing, right? (Please, don't tell me you are disgusted by this. You clearly have not read the monster's collection of gooey books, in that case).

Of course, I am constantly amazed by how the monster in particular, and people in general, learn things. Languages, math, stuff about nature, swimming, cycling, stuff like that. In the moments that I feel old I say 'Stop it! Nothing else can enter this head' but most times I think, 'Bring it on, its a new experience, I will learn something from it'

At the Germany conference I exploited my magic beans to the maximum and thoroughly enjoyed listening to people. I also saw barnacles (at least a photo of them) for the first time in my life. And felt like life was complete when someone in the audience said 'Billions of blue blistering barnacles!' Nasty looking creatures they are. They are housed here in the infamous campus, must go say hi to them in person, and try to scrape their cement. Its so magical that I went all the way to Germany and met barnacles.

I think you have to be young to feel magic. Children are crazy with magical stuff. The monster, for e.g., asked me, as I was playing basketball, 'Amma, do you know a bee's face looks like?' Do you see that? I had never thought about a bee's face. So we peered down at a dead (or near dead) bee and saw its face. Monster was super excited. I was super excited too, though I could not see much. 'It looks like half a pizza' she declared. Yes, of course! And how awesome is that!

If you have ever observed a child with a new toy, you will know what I mean. The routine where the toy is thrown under the couch along with the dog-hair and last year's plastic spoon, and the child spends endless hours playing with the box the toy came in, finding magic in it.

So gentle ladies, and, well, men, come on tell one tell all. Tell this young-old Kenny, what you find magic in. The palm fronds? The cloud patterns? Music? Paintings? Movies? Some days I find it in everything. Some days it goes away leaving behind my aged self....