My Poetic Life

A friend and I were conversing via email and he pointed out something to me: he defined life as having a realistic and a poetic side. I had never thought of it this way, but as I reflect on this statement, I have come to the conclusion that he's incredibly right. What's even more interesting to me is that I have a tendency to mix the two. Sometimes this gets me in trouble, but I think it's also the reason I can continue living my life as a blind person in an able-bodied world. I've been called a dreamer and a romantic as if those were bad things, but I wonder what is so inherently bad in actually enjoying life? It is this poetic side of my life that enjoys the beauty of crunching fallen leaves; a dog nudging me along when out running and my legs hurt; it's the giddy excitement I feel when decorating for Christmas or when a friend opens a Christmas gift. It's the part of my life that makes me love fairies and watch Disney movies and enjoy them just as much as I did when I was a kid. I also think it's the part of me that tries to believe that there is good in every person. It is the part of me that feels that ordinary life events can be extraordinary and magical. The best part is that, for the most part, I have people surrounding me  who let me indulge in my magical moments and giggle along with me at ordinary things made extraordinary. This afternoon was one of those magic moments for me.
I'm not one to follow celebrities about and harass them. I do not read magazines to find out who is doing what, but ever since we have arrived in Edinburgh I wanted to have lunch at
The Elephant House
where JK Rolling wrote the majority of the beginning of the Harry Potter series. I love little coffee houses and to be in the place where one of my favourite book series was written was magical to me. This afternoon, after Tenie had a meeting with her potential PhD advisors, we finally made it to the Elephant House for lunch and a great cup of coffee; or two.
The Elephant House is way bigger than I thought and is, of course, extremely busy. Since it is located relatively close to the university, students are everywhere sipping tea and satiating their need for caffeine. There are the inevitable tourists mixed in too, tucked into delicious dishes just enjoying the atmosphere. There are elephants everywhere-the website states over 600 of them-including one table set with elephant carved chairs. The Elephant House also has a great view of the Edinburgh Castle and the Grey Friar Graveyard where some of the characters' names and the inspiration for Hogwarts Castle came from. I'm not sure what it was about the place, but I am completely tickled that we finally got there. Perhaps a coffee house is not poetic to some, but to me it was absolutely perfect.
I believe there is value in taking the time to enjoy the magical moments that life offers. I am completely aware that reality trumps dream land, but I think that as grown-ups we lose some of our ability to be poetic and that is sad. Find your magical moments and live in them. Sure reality is necessary, but so is poetry. Your poetic moments may not be the same as mine, or even your partner's, but that is the beauty of it all; share them with someone and give them the gift of living in the present and embracing beauty where it occurs. Our world is too full of horrible/terrible things that, of course, we cannot ignore, but never noticing the beauty is, I think, detrimental to one's health.
What are your poetic moments?