enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

Photo-6

I have found that both a blessing and a curse of having a blog is that I am always thinking ahead. I am always thinking about next week's posts. Or next month's posts. What will I be doing? What can I be doing?

For me, it's much more a positive than a negative. It's important to me to have a post ready to go every weekday morning. I love writing. I love planning. I like waking up and knowing the first task of my day is already taken care of. This blog is both a personal journal and a business tool and daily posts are important for both.

And on a plane so much larger than the blog : thinking ahead is really how I get through the day. The full weight of Paul being gone is crushing when I think about today. And how far today is from next spring when he returns. But when I fast-forward to my next half-marathon in October or Thanksgiving up with my family, next spring really doesn't feel so far away. It feels much more manageable. And so, I look forward. I make plans for next week and next month.

But where it's a negative, is when I forget about today.

At the beginning of the year, I choose magic for my one little word. And other than choosing it, I have done nothing with it. Tuesday, I started thinking about my word for 2012. I picked the perfect one and wonderful reasons for why it would be good to carry with me.

And then, and this pains me to admit, I started planning (in my head) the blog post that I would write to share my 2012 word. It was witty and I was so looking forward to late December when I could write it out and hit publish. I started thinking about how I would say I didn't really do too much with the word magic in 2011. And then, out of nowhere, I realized I have three and a half months of 2011 which I had just written off without blinking an eye.

FAIL.

This is a really long way of saying, I want to talk about my word for 2011. About magic.

Not only do I have three and a half months to live with and through magic, when I really thought about it, I have already felt so much magic in the past eight and a half months. I wake up everyday and am in charge of my own time. I went from being a non-runner to a half marathoner. I celebrated one year of marriage. Paul and I decided that we are ready to be parents (for real this time). We shared this great day. I am 1/5 of the way through a deployment.

The running thing alone is nothing short of a miracle.

And obviously, magic is just a cheeky word I picked. Magic is real, no doubt, but it is something you make. It doesn't happen to you. (I mean, even people who win the lottery made the choice to buy a ticket.) Every single day, I make a choice to be upbeat. To focus on the good stuff. To work and talk and cry my way through the bad stuff. To get out of the house. To create something new. To love Paul more. To love myself more.

Magic

I have a few more months to create magic in my own life and I am going to focus on not wishing away a single day.

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35 responses to “on magic.”

  1. Sarah Bosma Avatar

    I find that I do the exact same thing – wishing time away. I am also a military spouse and with my husband on frequent deployments the next 3 years, it makes it so hard sometimes to enjoy the here and now. Thanks for this little reminder to not wish away the months that could be enjoyed doing something “magical!” 🙂

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  2. Sandi Keene Avatar

    Good for you! I hope “Magic” becomes a visible part of your everyday. Hugs.

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  3. Sarah Avatar

    Wonderful post, Elise. I agree, I can tend to be too forward looking. In some ways, it is good because it keeps me moving forward. But it can be bad because it makes me either advance fuss about things or miss out on what is happening right now. So, more often than not, I just focus not only on just today, but getting through just the next hour. And then until lunch. And then until dinner. This thinking helps me survive as a parent, which is a role I undertake solo a lot of the time with a traveling husband. Good luck to you and making your own magic – it has carried you this far!

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  4. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    sweet post. here’s to some magical days for you!

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  5. Rebekah Hanna-Lozano Avatar

    My one word for 2011 was “forgive.” And it’s amazing how much forgiving I’ve had to do this year (forgiving others and myself). I hope that you are able to find magic in every moment of every day, even when 2012 arrives. The magic of a sunrise or sunset. The magic of people all over the world supporting you and your blog and praying for Paul’s safe return. The magic of dry leaves coming together with hot water to create a delicious tea! 🙂 Creativity is magic, and I thank you for inspiring me to be more creative every day!

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  6. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    Love it. Magic is a great word. My one little word this was hope and I didn’t do anything with it.

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  7. Lisa Avatar

    Great post!! Hopefully you enjoy the magic the year has left on offer.

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  8. Jenny Avatar

    I just received my art supplies for Script class yesterday! I smiled when I saw your writing. Can’t wait to dig into my lessons today. Blessings for more magical things to come your way in 2011!

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  9. sarah Avatar

    Wonderful post Elise. 2011 has been a rough year for me on so many levels and lately I’ve been counting down to 2012 as if I’ve given up completely. Between your post and a couple others I’ve read in the past few days I realize that I’m in control of my happiness and I’m determined to make a U-turn regarding my outlook on things! Thanks for sharing & always being such an honest inspiration to your readers! 🙂

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  10. Molly Avatar

    I love this post, Elise. You are pretty magical to me.

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  11. Stacy Avatar

    It can be hard to be present, but sometimes the magic is in the moment and letting ourselves soak in what we have instead of always looking past it to the next thing.
    I love your annual words. I’ve been doing a weekly/monthly theme for my myself (“love without expectation,” “meet them where they are,” “breathe”) and it helps to have something to focus on when I get caught up in the crap.

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  12. Dani Avatar

    This post is pretty. I’ve been through two deployments with my husband, and you never get used to it… you just get through it. Thinking of you. ❤

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  13. Gretchen Garnett Avatar
    Gretchen Garnett

    gosh you’re good – and wise. hope we can talk you into tackling some trail running when you move to Ventura – talk about magic. Oh, but that’s thinking ahead, enjoy each day – this is my son’s last year of high school so I feel the full meaning of savoring every minute with him.

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  14. Linda Avatar

    I like your posts lately. They seem free-er and the inspiration they come with is great. Your more “natural/whimsical” approach to blogging is really coming through. Here’s to more magic!

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  15. Betsy Avatar
    Betsy

    Great post! My friend posted the following quote on FB today. I really needed to hear both your message and this one today. It’s amazing how what you really need appears before your eyes….actually, it’s “magic”!
    “Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself……”
    ― Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi

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  16. DianneT Avatar
    DianneT

    A very wise post for a young woman! And as a much older woman I too had something to learn from it. Thank you Elise!

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  17. suzanne Avatar

    coming from a person who, after getting hit by a car and losing my father, truly knows what hopelessness feels like. gradually i got my ‘magic’ back. and hope. this is a beautiful post and it really hit me personally. thank you.

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  18. mary Avatar

    it is so hard sometimes to live for now and not wish it away. truly, we only get so many days and we need to live all of them! ….I read this post before the one where you shared your other scripts from Kal’s class and I have to say – I thought the “magic” words you posted here were hers. you’re doing a GREAT job with the script! hang in there. and find some magic!!

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  19. elise blaha Avatar

    oh, there will be trail running for sure! Getting so very excited about the ventura move. hoping to get up there in late January!

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  20. elise blaha Avatar

    awesome. thanks for sharing.

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  21. amy Avatar
    amy

    It’s heartfelt posts like this that remind me why I check in everyday! Thanks for your words, Elise!

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  22. Miranda Avatar

    Love this. Love the honesty. Love the outlook.

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  23. Amy --- Just A Titch Avatar

    I agree with you so much on this. I really enjoy making plans and looking forward to things; it’s easy for me to lose my focus on today. It’s so important to focus on the good that’s in every day, instead of just looking ahead.

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  24. nicole Avatar

    amen! so true. so awesome. life is beautiful! 🙂

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  25. Amy K Avatar
    Amy K

    Good for you Elise! Great post and fantastic perspective. Thanks for sharing.

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  26. Kim Faucher Avatar

    Great post Elise… I do the same thing. Sometimes being “over” organized for me has its downfalls.
    As an exercise to myself, sometimes I plan a family trip and make the choice NOT to take the camera… it forces me to just live in the moment more
    Thanks for the bump of inspiration this morning! 😉

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  27. Skye Avatar

    I love this post and that photo of you! It is easy to write off the rest of my year now that it’s down to the last few months and I’m busy with school again. Thank you for the reminder that there’s still time to make magic in 2011. I really needed it.

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  28. Cecilia Madden Avatar

    Love your honesty. I struggle with this balance too. (Sounds like we all do.)
    And I love visiting your site. Thanks for keeping me inspired.

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  29. Amanda Avatar

    I thoroughly enjoyed this post; it was like a breath of fresh air. Just what I needed.

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  30. kasia Avatar

    lovely and inspiring post! It’s so important to make the most of the day you have ahead, try to find a magic in little things. There is a wonderful book on a similar topic, you can have a look- Elif Safak, 40 rules of love 🙂

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  31. Whitney Avatar

    Saw your “magic is something you make” over at Jasmine Star’s blog here: http://www.jasminestarblog.com/index.cfm?postID=1309&friday-randomness-magic-milkshakes
    Thought I would share it with you! (if you didn’t already know) 🙂

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  32. Katie Carranza Avatar

    just saw this on Lauren Conrad’s pinterest.
    http://pinterest.com/pin/135459901262354481/

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  33. elise blaha Avatar

    ha! I wish it was properly credited! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 e

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  34. Alex Avatar

    Nice words! Can we know the font u used for the image? Thanks!!!!

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  35. elise blaha Avatar

    that is just my handwriting!

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