THE MAGICAL PLACE
The old Mexican brick pavers were far from level or even at the top of the walking surface. The cracked and discolored reddish pavers had been there a long time. I could tell at first glance that the area used to be an outside patio.
I was even more convinced of the patio theory when I surveyed what was both the ceiling and the roof of the structure. It was waterproof, or at least mostly so, with heavy cloth material with some kind of old rubber coating canvas stretched tightly between the seldom found roof members spanning the old patio.
Sitting in the chairs was a challenge, it felt like you were on a mini-teeter-totter. The owners of the establishment solved the problem for the tables by having small pieces of hard rubber on hand to lodge under the legs of the table in order to eliminate the teeter-tottering effect, thereby saving much distress of the spilled drinks.
For all that restaurant lacked, it somehow managed to be a magical spot that turned out to be a very special place to my wife and me. We shared some intimate time in that place… Sometimes it was a little too cold and drafty, other times it was a bit warm and sticky, but somehow the food and time spent together equaled much more than the sum of the inadequate parts.
I look for those special places… I keep an eye out for a place with that kind of potential. Maybe it’s what I see in the potential God has placed in me. He makes the mess of a life kind of work together to be more than it could ever be without a dose of magic…
I know there is no real magic in a magical place. The magic is inside of us… Not only what God can make of us, but also the gift He has given to enjoy time and space regardless of material make up.
I’m convinced the real supernatural and unique feelings we experience are achieved when we have the proper perspective. I’m not referring to the excitement felt from a new relationship, I’m describing a special time with someone who knows us intimately and who we’ve had almost every imaginable conversation with.
The key ingredients I think are selflessness, along with the desire to listen and be able to enjoy our special company without having to hide who we are and care enough about the other being to take that special time out with them.
What makes a place special is the company we share it with.
Since our old favorite place has closed down, I’ve been on the lookout for a similar place where we can enjoy some magical time together. My wife and I have talked about it and both actively look for that new special place.
As I sat in my home office observing the overgrown, in need of trimming, shrubs and trees outside the glass doors, I spotted it. That place where I study, visit, listen intently, and share my special time with God gave me the proper perspective. It wasn’t the structure of my home that made it special it was my Company.
I’d looked high and low for the perfect place, not perfect form or function, but perfect in attitude and atmosphere. What could be better than what surrounded me; my home, supplied by the One who spends time there…
The perfect, imperfect place… It wasn’t perfect because of all it is made up by, it is perfect because of who it is that I share it with…
Of all the magical times I’ve spent away from home, nothing comes remotely close to the times I’ve spent with God and my family,
right here at home…
Helen
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 10:16 am
You are so right! No matter how much I enjoy a vacation or an outing, I always feel good to come back home. And my home is more fully home when my husband Bob walks in through the door! 🙂
Helen
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 10:16 am
(I mean in the door at the end of the day…)
Floyd
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 10:46 am
I got that! It sounds like something I would have written, I completely got it!
Floyd
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 10:45 am
Thanks Helen, funny how God wired us isn’t it?
Bt
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 5:41 pm
Floyd, you’re so correct that the specialness of a place is all about sharing “it” with those that bring happiness into your life. But you build houses that become homes, the structures that you build are the vessels that families build special memories in and sail through life. You have a God given ability to help create those “special places”! Bt
Floyd
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 6:30 pm
Thanks BT, I truly appreciate that. Not many people reading no things of my personal life like you. I gotta say, when I see your home, what you’ve done with it, and what it means to you and your family, it gratifies me beyond words. There is something God put inside me that creating something really fulfills. I know He’s done the same in you. This is when you cringe… When someone like me says, “We’re like two peas in a pod.” Yeah… The truth does hurt sometimes!
I feel blessed to be able to do what I do…
Hazel
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 5:44 pm
A friend gave me a book, “God in the Yard.” The suggestion is to sit outside in a quiet place for an hour and spend time with God in your yard. The thought is precious, but I have three dogs that would not allow me to be alone in the yard unless I locked them up.
I hope you find a new special restaurant for you and your wife! In the mean time, enjoy your home and its rare beauty because family is there.
Floyd
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 @ 6:34 pm
Thanks Hazel! I will… Truth is, my wife can cook like the wind. Or, well, you know what I mean. I just like to get her a break once in awhile. I’ve written a few posts from outside in my yard, but not right now. We’re setting heat records right now. 110 today… Whew!!!
It’s true what they say isn’t it? “The most simple things in life mean the most…”
Jo
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 4:46 am
Your home is so warm and welcoming! But I know that is because of the people in it!!! Diane is an awesome cook! I have tried but not been able to duplicate her pizza! Miss seeing you guys! Keep up with MacKenzie and Karson on facebook. Karson sure is growing up fast!
Floyd
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 7:01 am
Thanks Jo. That’s very kind, I’ll pass it on to Diane, it’s no secret that she is the one that makes it that way… The little one is taller than her mom now. Time is flying… It’s so good to hear from you again. Tell Stan I said hey.
April
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 7:16 am
It’s always more about the WHO than it is the WHERE
Floyd
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 9:27 am
Absolutely right! Well said April!
Lenna Wyatt
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 9:06 am
The picture you have of that restaurant reminded me of one my daughters took me to for my birthday a couple of years ago. It is called El Encanto, in Cave Creek. It has a fascinating duck pond my little great-granddaughter went crazy over. The food was terrific. I’m forwarding you their beautiful website. You might check it out. Maybe it could be the “second magical place” you’re looking for.
Floyd
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 9:28 am
Thanks Lenna, we’ll check it out! Something about an old looking, clean place to make you feel all warm inside…
katdish
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 6:32 pm
Your words always make me smile. You have a way of weaving together the simplest and most ordinary things and making them somehow extraordinary.
Floyd
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 6:56 pm
Awww, thanks Kathy. I don’t know, seems like you just took some pretty regular words and did something very special with them. And they too, made me smile…
Jason Stasyszen
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
Love the story and your point (because it can never be overstated). I thought too that though we are imperfect, it is His delight and fellowship that brings more fully into the perfection He prepared for us through the precious blood of Jesus. He’s not looking for the perfect place–He’s looking for you and me. Thanks Floyd.
Floyd
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 8:53 pm
Thanks Jason, I’m amazed how it all ties in with your blessed life… God is good to all of His children, if we’ll only look for it… I’m overwhelmed with emotion for your new gift from God. You’re going to he an amazing dad!
jake
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 @ 6:10 am
We give things meaning. It’s a post-modern thought that we can change definitions of words, etc, but truly, we give the things that surround us any level of significance based on our attitudes, perceptions and actions. Glad you look for places to do this to.
Floyd
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 @ 9:44 am
Thanks Jake, it really is the simple things in life that we our most profound joy in. All the years spent chasing things that don’t add up to nothing is a sad wasted life, I’ve done more than my share of that, I’m looking for something better, or I should say, God is showing me something better.
brad gore
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 @ 10:37 am
Very well said. Still people wonder why the couple who haved lived in their old home for fifty years refuse to move. Someone will say, they were offered 3 times what thats worth! Its exactly what your talking about. Those magical times shared with family and friends. It cannot be replaced.
Floyd
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 @ 4:24 pm
That’s the truth. It’s taken me long time to get to that point in my life. It really is the smallest of things that most of us take for granted that end up being the best and most important things in life. Thanks Brad. “It cannot be replace.” I guess that says it all…