7 magical things: Larger-than-life art, crawfish mac and dancing in the dandelions

Without the March madness of South by Southwest, however will we fill our time?

Mid-March usually means South by Southwest madness, but not this year.

It’s a little strange, isn’t it? This second year of March being just a “regular” month without 10-14 days of pure sensory (and traffic and economic and booze) overload.

For me, it’s been a big week of feeling the feels, working through the tough stuff that requires me to set boundaries and make decisions and, most importantly, carving out time to take care of myself.

I hope everyone is feeling a little better as the winter storm falls further into our past, as more vaccinations roll into the state and as the humidifiers and winter clothes go back in the closet.

Here are 7 sources of sparkly feelings that I allowed myself to receive this week.

Taking in life-sized, immersive art. Frank and I had a date at “Behind the Scenes: The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop,” a display of 12 enormous painted backdrops that are on display at Bass Concert Hall until April 18. I have seen large pieces of art before, but nothing quite like this. I want to go back and take my kids, who will be in awe of these giant hanging canvases, just like I was.

Taking a PTO play day. We took off Thursday to get our first vaccine shots in Gatesville, and on the way home, we stopped in Salado for the afternoon, where we had delicious food, shopped at some cute little stores and watched glassblowers work the kiln. Two days later, it still feels like I’m on vacation, which reminds me just how important it is to take the paid time off days that I have. They don’t typically roll over, and it doesn’t make sense to hold onto all of them for big trips or holidays.

Letting my tarot friends read for me. My friend, Hector (the one and only @mexicanity), offered to read tarot cards for me last week, so we met via Facetime and carved out that intimate space that tarot allows, where we could talk about all the transformations happening within and around us.

Quilt, a new self care audio app. Similar to Clubhouse, Quilt specifically hosts conversations about self-care, spiritual practices, mutual aid and other forms of healing. I’ve only jumped on a few conversations, but they have been really wonderful. I’ve been wanting to start a tarot listening/learning audio space, so I’m experimenting on Quilt by hosting a tarot talk at noon CT on Sunday. Download the app and follow me (@broylesa) if you want to join.

Listening to the rain. I sat outside the YMCA at Townlake on Saturday and listened to the birds and the drizzle while perched on the bleachers at one of the baseball fields. A quiet moment to look around and watch the green turn greener before my very eyes.

Crawfish mac and cheese. I wrote about crawfish this week and had leftover crawfish meat, so I made homemade mac and tossed in the tails. To watch my oldest son devour a bowl of the crawfish mac and cheese and tell me how much he loved the food I made. <insert feeling loved emoji> Pure magic.

Letting dandelions stop the clock. Avery and I went on a walk a few days ago, and we couldn’t help but notice all the plants that had died. We were looking for signs of life in all the yards we walked past, and we were particularly happy to find a small field of dandelions that had turned into little puff balls. We had to blow a few and split the stems into those little curly cues, just like I did when I was a kid. Watching Avery run around in the feathery seeds floating down stopped me in my tracks. Life is nothing but a series of magic moments like these, if only I can remind myself to slow down to notice them.

I’ll see you next week with 7 more things that are bringing this kind of delight into my life. Until then, be well and don’t be afraid to make your own magic. ✨💖🔮

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