The Magical Approach

I want to take the magical approach to life.  I believe that anything can be magical. Love, laughter and cooking are my favorites.  A few years ago, around Christmas Time, I was planning a party.  I planned to make platters of steamed asparagus with curried mayonnaise, roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers, hummus along with an assortment of olives and pickled vegetables.  I thought that with a pile of whole wheat pita bread this would make for a satisfying and healthy offering.   I could just imagine all of the bright colors spread across the table.

The day before the party, Paula had an appointment with a massage therapist who was coming to our house.  I thought that surely I could stay quiet for an hour, so decided to stay home and catch up on some reading or begin some preparations for the party.  I was reading a book about the magical approach to living. The therapist arrived and as he was setting up his table, I retired to the kitchen.

The kitchen had been decorated for the holidays with candy cane lights in the bay window over the sink along with the ceramic Santa my grandmother made so many years ago.  There was a small metal wreath hanging from the knob of the upper cabinet next to the stove.  The wreath had gold jingle bells tied with gold ribbons which sang out the Season every time I opened the cabinet door for a coffee cup.

 Grandma had also made a ceramic Christmas tree which was in the back corner of the bar. The festive holiday motif plates and napkins were stacked next to the tree.  Also on the bar were the ingredients for the party awaiting construction.  The Mediterranean olives and package of pita bread were ready to use. The garbanzo beans, lemons, tahini, olive oil and parsley were grouped for the hummus. 

I was going to blend 2 16 oz cans of beans (drained) with ¼ cup or so of tahini, 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of a lemon and a half bunch of chopped parsley.  The tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds with texture similar to peanut butter.  I wanted to use the parsley adding not only a bright note to the flavor profile, but also a festive green color to the dip.   I knew I could not start this now because using the food processor would be far too noisy and would interrupt the massage in the next room.

That left the pickled vegetables which were marinating in the refrigerator and the curried mayonnaise I had already made the day before.  The mayonnaise is so simple; just stir the curry powder into the mayo until it tastes right.  I like to make it a few days before so the flavors have time to settle together.  Finally, there was the asparagus which I wanted to steam at the last moment, and the peppers that needed roasting.  It seemed that roasting the peppers would be the quietest task I could do.

I have a gas stove, so I roast my peppers on top of the stove directly on the burners.  It takes a little while and some attention, but is an effective method.  I placed a stainless steel mixing bowl next to the stove underneath the jingle bells.  As the peppers finished roasting, I would put them in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  This allows them to steam and makes them easier to skin later.  First, I cut the peppers in have lengthwise.  I then pulled the stem off and removed the seeds and ribs.  Then I fired up all four burners.  I carefully stacked the pepper halves leaning on each other in a teepee shape over the flames.  I then sat on a bar stool next to the stove and started reading my book.

I was reading about how we are the magicians of our own lives.  I don’t remember the actual text of the book, but it was something about how God puts pieces of a puzzle in front of us.  We, if we are open to it, see the puzzle pieces and put them together in a magical way, making us the magicians in our own lives.  The book was about the magical approach and the art of creative living.  I so wanted to experience this magic.

I could smell the peppers and knew it was time for some turning and rearranging.  I was using my longest tongs for the job as the stove was quite hot now with all four burners blazing.  I got the peppers arranged to my liking and sat down to continue my read.  I could hear the soft music from the living room and there was a peaceful calm feeling throughout the house.

As I read few more pages, I felt a yearning to experience the magic being discussed in the book.  At times, I experience this “magical” feeling when I am cooking.  There are times that the most simple ingredients come together in such a way that I could never have planned.  Maybe it is just the right flavor or texture at just the right time with just the right mood…

Then it happened.  One of the metal jingle bells fell into the metal bowl.  It crashed onto the top edge of the bowl, spiraled around the sides and finally settled in the bottom with a gentle rocking.  It sounded like a thousand church bells on a quiet Sunday morning.  I was astounded!  I had received my magical moment, my miracle, my sign from God.  Some of the peppers were ready for the bowl, so I quickly scooped out the bell to make room.

At this point the peppers needed my full attention, but I have to say that my heart was full!  I was so excited to have had this miraculous experience.  That’s how it felt to me.  As I turned and re-arranged the peppers, taking each one off as it was blackened to perfection, another bell fell.  Then another one, and finally the last one detached from its ribbon.  I discovered that the heat from the burners was melting the glue loosening the bells one by one.  I was so disappointed.

What I thought had been a magical, miraculous moment, was in truth just another minute of my day.  What began in my mind as a miracle was now just another ordinary happening.  I finished with the peppers, covered them and set them aside to cool.  I would clean the skins off later.  Deciding not to take a chance of making more noise, sat down and resumed my reading.

The next few paragraphs were about how these magical moments aren’t always a result of supernatural happenings.  Sometimes the magic is in the simple moments of our everyday lives.  It is our perception that makes the ordinary magical.  I realized that I had indeed had my magical moment, it suddenly did not matter to me that the falling bells had an easy explanation.

This realization was re-enforced the next day as I was arranging the food for our holiday gathering.  I had been able to take very simple ingredients, beans, vegetables and bread, and create a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.  The green asparagus and yellow curried mayonnaise were beautiful as was the rainbow of peppers along side the green hummus.  I made myself a treat of hummus, roasted peppers, asparagus, and pickled turnip sandwiched between the whole wheat pita bread.  It was truly a miraculous bite, from the earthiness of the garbanzos and tahini to the brightness of the lemon and parsley.  The asparagus and peppers added a satisfying crunch.

I do believe that God whispers to us everyday.  We only have to open our minds and hearts to experience the magic available.  Whether it is in the beautiful sunrise, the sound of your child’s laughter, or a perfect meal; I wish you many magical moments in your life.