Where Does Magic Come From?

I recently rented the classic movie, Mary Poppins for my kids and was quickly reminded of the MAGIC I felt as a child. The magic of adventure and fun, of wonder and curiosity, of color and music.  But as I watched with my kids this time around, what I felt most was the magic of connection.  The place where real "magic" comes from.  Connection.  It seems so simple and yet it is one of the hardest things to achieve in our every day life. When work, bills, school, meals, snow days and just about everything else life throws at you gets in the way, it's hard to think about really connecting to our loved ones and to our own happiness.

In Mary Poppins, the father, Mr. Banks lived the perfect life.  He had a prestigious job at a bank, he came home every night to kiss his children goodnight and was able to sit with his wife each evening with a pipe in hand.  According to him, his life was perfect.  But if you looked at it closely, he never spent time with his children, didn't know what his wife was passionate about and was just a piece of a puzzle in a job where his boss felt no loyalty to him.  His perfect life was only "perfect" on the surface.  In fact, he rarely connected to those around him or his happiness.  He was too busy living his "perfect" life.

So what is real connection? 

In the movie Mary Poppins, connection was about finding the magic in your life.  It wasn't about money, the right job, the big house, the great meal or the perfectly behaved children.  It was about something deeper than what's on the surface.  It was about having a great conversation, learning something new, taking a chance, making a difference, finding the space for your passion and feeling free enough to laugh.  

When Hubert, otherwise known as the Chimney Sweeper is introduced, we find him playing instruments, painting pictures, cleaning chimneys, dancing with strangers, laughing with friends.  He doesn't have the "perfect" life on the surface.  In fact, he has all of these jobs just to make ends meet.  But he is truly happy because he can connect from a place where "magic" comes from.  He connects from his heart.

So I ask you this......when you wake up every day, are you on autopilot with your connections?  Are you connecting to what looks good on paper or to what comes easily?  Or are you connecting from your heart?  A place of happiness.  A place full of magic.  The very place where Mary Poppins lives.