“And above all, watch with glistening eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald Dahl

Magic, to most of us, is a surreal concept. It brings to mind scenes of Peter Pan and Harry Potter — of pixie dust and fairyland adventures. From the very beginning, we have roamed the Enchanted Woods with Enid Blyton, attended balls with Cinderella, and eaten cursed apples with Snow White.

Now, as I look back at those beginnings, I realize that those moments, albeit beautiful, were only an almost insignificant part of the magic this world holds for us, for the supernatural, to me, is certainly not the only form of miraculous.

To me, magic is real. Yes, we can find magic in the clouds, but why do we forget to look for it on hard, firm ground? I believe that we, as humans, have either forgotten or overlooked the magical wonders of the world we live in.

Magic is in smiling at strangers, and watching their eyes twinkle as their faces break out into laughter with the joy of unexpected acknowledgement.

Magic is in solitary evenings with a book and a cup of hot chocolate, as we stare at the stars and at the words knowing that nobody can take these memories away from us.

Magic is in family and in friends, the unexplainable bond that makes a human sacrifice all that he has for another human.

Magic is film, music, art, dance — how movement, sound and color can make hearts break and minds wonder at a situation they will likely never experience.

Magic is nature, and magic is emotion. How the caterpillar blossoms into a butterfly and how the child’s heart leaps to see it fly.

Magic, I believe, lies in every corner, in every moment, in every memory.

We are all living beings, on a tiny planet in a tiny solar system of an infinite universe, and yet, we all make a difference. We all make a difference, and if difference isn’t magic, then what is?

It is time we celebrate the miracle of human consciousness.

It is time we believe in magic.