Mental Magic

Fantasy has always been my favorite genre in the vast majority of media I consume. When I was a kid, my parents would take turns reading The Chronicles of Narnia to me right before bed. I started on the Harry Potter series back when the first book was still only known as The Philosopher's Stone. Today, Terry Pratchett is my favorite author (GNU Terry Pratchett), with his mastery of fantasy satire and the ability to so thoroughly flesh out characters and worlds at every point on the range of human emotion. Heck, I write fantasy. It's pretty much my favorite thing. 

So I put myself to thinking on what brings fantastical elements into my life. It's not all second-hand. While my inspirations for writing and drawing definitely can be influenced by the content I take in - and how can it not? - I am still capable of original thoughts. 

I think, in this case, everyone is able to find a little bit of the fantastic in their daily lives. It feeds wonderment. It allows willing suspension of disbelief. It enables the worlds we build for ourselves, because if we cannot imagine something magnificent, we are leading stunted lives. 

I know, for me, one of those places is the beach, specifically at sunset. On the east coast this means a little less, as the sun goes down over the land rather than the water. But where I go, the beach is cleared out from the bustle of the day. The sand is cool on top with the gentle heat beat in by the sun seeped in underneath - you feel it when you dig your toes in. The fading light paints the cloudscape soft pinks and oranges layered under pillows of lavender and plum. And off to the side, the gentle shhh of the water lapping against the shore makes a tranquil soundtrack to soft thoughts and good company.

I'm going to that this weekend, and I'm very excited about it. I hope everyone else gets that opportunity to open themselves up to the fantastical places that let their minds believe in magic.