A pixie dust purveyor…
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 Peter Pan fairy-in-residence, 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 folks fly 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 into 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. This 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…
First posted, April 2022
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