A pixie dust purveyor?
Could this be you? Oh, gosh, sounds so sentimental, so spoonful of sugar-like, so (let’s go ahead and say it) Mary Poppins-ish. Makes my teeth hurt.
Well, since I’ve already mentioned Mary Poppins, let’s go all-out Disney and say “pixie dust!” No, no, you can’t have forgotten or never seen Peter Pan?! When the fairy, Tinker Bell, flies she is trailed by a cloud of pixie dust, and this magical concoction helps humans fly too, if they THINK happy thoughts.
Of course, the LAST thing in the world I want is for someone to tell me “think happy thoughts!” I’d be heading for the dentist after grinding my teeth through that declaration. But….
A possible reframe? What would it take for me to metaphorically (and covertly) sprinkle pixie dust throughout my day (helping fly folks out of their workaday doldrums?) I’ve always wanted a magic wand…
Pixie dust case-in-point. Leaving a doctor’s office recently, the checkout receptionist looked besieged, responding to callers on her telephone headset AND to in-person humans (like me), all needing appointments. Ouch. As I stood there waiting, I noticed a picture tucked in the corner of her desk, showing the receptionist in a bridal gown, with her new husband, both of them absolutely beaming. I told her it was a fabulous picture. She smiled, and I could almost palpably see her shoulders relax. That little bit of pixie dust-flinging opened a short exchange, human to human, between the two of us. Both of us were smiling when I walked away.
I won’t bore you with more pixie dust-flinging examples. You’re smart, you get the picture. A bit of kind presence towards someone (AKA pixie dust) can help elevate them in a moment when a short flight of fancy isn’t a bad thing. So get your wands ready…
The sharing of love in a frenzied, hardened world: what we are each called to do, but how hard it can be to do and how wonderful when we manage to find the courage to do it. Thanks for the reminder, Jan.
It can become a habit! A good habit!