The Look: Satin Surplice Dress from Target ($29.99) // Similar Steve Madden Flat Sandals from Macy’s ($59.00) // Asymmetrical Green Amethyst & Sterling Silver Necklace ($50.00) and Sterling Silver Long Drop Ripple Earrings ($26.00) from Soasa Designs [also seen here] // Kutula Kiss Optic Rainbow and Peace by Peace Camo Small Bracelets from the Desert Rose Collection (coming soon!)
Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on the magic? Like everywhere you look (and by look I mean check Instagram), it’s as if people are being sprinkled with fairy dust floating off to their big dreams. It feels like everyone knows where the secret passageway is. It seems that the people you see online have some kind of magical fairy godmother and you have no idea what you have to do to get her to pay you a visit.
I mean, inside, you know that can’t be right because everyone struggles; everyone has a story. But, since hardly anyone exposes us to that side of their lives, at the moment of social media scrolling, your brain doesn’t compute that.
If you’ve ever watched Once Upon a Time, you’ve heard Rumpelstiltskin say, “magic always comes with a price”.
And it’s true.
We (as onlookers, because that sounds better than “social media stalkers”) never get to see the price tag for the magic other people experience, but it’s there. Every single time.
Think about other magical things.
For example, I just got back from Disney World, where dreams come true, with my family a few weeks ago. Magic Kingdom is knows as “The Most Magical Place on Earth” after all.
And man do those dreams come with a price. For starters, there’s the actual nonsensical price tag that comes with a Disney vacation, but that’s not what I’m talking about here (partially because I didn’t have to pay it.. thanks mom!).
We spent 8+ hours a day on our feet to experience the magic. We endured the toe blisters (not on the days I wore my Iskay Shoes though!), swollen legs, and chaffed thighs that come with wandering around all day in the heat. We put up with the heat. Those dull, meandering lines before the rides sometimes took HOURS just for minutes, sometimes even seconds, of magic. We backtracked to another land simply to experience the delight of the Dole Whip Float (which is pure magic in the form of frozen pineapple-flavored soft-serve goodness found at Aloha Isle in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom). And, we persisted through each others’ moments of low blood sugar, (often miscontrued) offensive comments, overreactions, and excessive complaining (like anytime I asked my sister to take a photo for Instagram) just to experience the magic together.
It was also pretty magical that my boobs stayed in this dress all day. About halfway through taking these photos, I did realize that this dreamy satin maxi dress from Target (it’s only $29.00, which just adds to the magic) does have adjustable straps, so if you’re worried about your boob to coverage ratio don’t worry you can control the cleavage (or, grab one of these options above instead)! Also, I have to give praise to Sweat Cosmetics for making melt proof foundation that says put and Aveda’s Smooth Infusion Style-prep Smoother for keeping the hair humidity frizz at bay while I was on vacation!
We ended our day at Magic Kingdom with Happily Ever After Fireworks Show which was incredible. They projected clips and images from all kinds of Disney movies onto Cinderella’s castle… And don’t worry, Tinkerbell still flies at the end, just like in the previous show (that was always my favorite part! How does one get that job?). Another magical highlight was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I’d like to take all the gems inside home with me ;).
The magic of vacation did come with various price tags, but ones we were willing to pay. On other, not-so-magical days, I’m positive our tolerance for these kind of inconveniences would have been far lower. But, we knew the magic of the day was unquestionably going to be there.
Every day that we get up and put in the work for whatever we’re doing, we’re making a payment on the magic that’s to come. What sucks the most is that there aren’t any payment plans or loans you can take out to get the magic now and pay the rest of your balance later. We don’t get a sample or a preview to test it out, so we forget that’s what we are working towards. Wouldn’t it be great if we were able to take out the amount of magic in proportion to how much work we’ve put into it already? Most days, even just finding a penny-sized increment of that magic sitting on my desk, as a small token and reminder, would be enough to keep me going. If we get lucky enough, sometimes we do get to see a bit of that magic beforehand, but it never seems to happen on the days we mentally need it the most (or is it that on the days we need it the most, we’re blind to any magical occurrences?).
The more that vulnerability catches on, the more I think we wait for our favorite mentors, voices, and admirees to show us the price tags (especially the mental, emotional ones) of their own magic. It would be wonderful if everyone could get on board with taking us behind the scenes, but we can’t hold out for that; we have our own magic to create in the mean time.
So, I’m here to tell you, you don’t need proof of someone else’s pre-carriage pumpkin to understand how magic works. Take a look at the magical moments you’ve had – you know that there’s a charge before the enchantment. Which means, the miles you’re walking now with sore feet and weary legs are getting you closer to the magic, even though it’s hard to wait.
Move forward as if you already have your ticket into Magic Kingdom. You’ve already purchased your magic just by putting in the work you’re doing. Keep moving. Know that it’s coming. There’s plenty for you and you deserve to experience it. Act as if the magic ahead for you is certain and confirmed… because it is.
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