in case you forgot...

Hey friends,

I wanted to send you this morning reminder in case you forgot…

I called an Uber the other day to head back to my apartment with my roommates.

Totally normal, until it wasn’t.

In the moment after I pushed the button on my phone and a driver was en-route 2 minutes away, something hit me.

I have a magic wand!

A real magic wand, in my pocket.

One command and a private driver is on his way to pick me up and take me anywhere I want to go.

One push of my thumb and I have instant access to all of the world’s information.

One tap of my finger and I’m having a face to face conversation with someone any where in the world in real time.

One swipe and I have a high resolution camera to capture any moment in any fashion.

One slide of my finger and I can jam out to any song that any one has ever made.

One post and I’m sharing something that can to reach over HALF of our worlds population

One string of words together and I have the ability to drastically affect the way that someone thinks and feels.

How cool is it to see my iPhone in this magical light? I thought to myself.

How cool is it to see the WORLD this way?

Where else is there magic like this that I might be missing?

In that moment as I stepped into the car, an avalanche of invigorating thoughts swept my legs from under me.

Somewhere along the way, we forget.

We forget how incredibly miraculous everything is – happening right in front of our eyes.

We forget that we have a magic wand in our pockets called an iPhone.

We forget that sometimes there’s colorful beams of light shooting across the sky that we’ve reduced to calling rainbows.

We forget that caterpillars wrap themselves into a cocoon and transform into a butterfly. What.

We forget that the waves of the ocean have never stopped crashing to meet the shore. Literally ever.

We forget that there used to be dinosaurs on our planet. Probably in the place you are now.

We forget that trees are alive and breathing. And their breath keeps us alive.

We forget that our bodies are made of remnants of stars and galactic explosions. You are literally stardust!

We forget that there are airplanes flying through the sky and satellites orbiting our globe.

We forget that we’re all on the same team here. Human beings, doing our thing.

We forget that we are a floating on a rock in space, spinning around 930 miles per hour.

We forget how spectacular it is to be alive!

There is a concept in Zen Buddhism known as shoshin, which means “beginner's mind.” Seeing and experiencing things, as if for the first time…

A baby elated by the plush feeling of the fuzzy carpet. A toddler shouting in ecstasy racing away from the crashing waves at the beach. A kid absorbed in awe by the countless colors of the setting sun. A teenager jamming to music, driving alone for the first time after getting their license.

We used to be so obsessed with all of the magic that was around us, but we’ve become so normalized to it, it appears as if we’ve forgotten.

Don’t forget.

Don’t forget that this world is a blooming paradise of splendor.

Don’t forget that you are a phenomenally powerful and essentially integral part of this gigantic, confusing, brutal, and awe inspiring world.

Don’t forget that every day you can choose to see and experience everything however you please. You’re the wizard with the wand in your hand.

So wipe the crust away from those beginner eyes and somersault into this jungle of magic.

Hit “reply” to let me know where in your day to day life you experience magic. I want to know.

I'll see you out on the playground.

Abracadabra,

Joshua