Have You Noticed? Every Day Holds a Little Magic

What makes you smile — and feel like anything is possible? For me, it’s Calvin and Hobbes: a mischievous little boy and his clever, playful stuffed tiger, popping up from the comic pages with wry, uncluttered insight that somehow makes the world feel a little brighter and full of possibilities.

One story I keep coming back to — their very last, on a past December 31 — never fails to spark a little joy.

Calvin and Hobbes step outside carrying their sled, bounding with joy through soft, powdery drifts from an overnight snowfall. The whole world is blanketed in clean, untouched white — the kind that makes you want to stop, smile, and take it all in.

Hobbes looks around and says, almost in awe,
“Everything familiar has disappeared.”

Calvin pauses just long enough to feel it, and then his whole face breaks into that wide, anything-is-possible grin:
“It’s a magical world… let’s go exploring.”

And then — just like that — they tumble onto their sled and whoosh; down the sparkling hill they go.

Watching them at the top of that hill, just pausing for a moment before the ride, I can’t help but think: what if we treated our mornings the same way? Just a tiny pause, noticing what our body and spirit need, tuning in to that quiet inner guidance, and giving ourselves a little care before we take off into the day.

What if we looked at our lives like that fresh snow — clean, open, full of possibility — and let ourselves explore, instead of rushing straight into the familiar?

And what if, while we do that, we didn’t fight the little voice in our head telling us we don’t have time? What if we just nodded to it, gently, and said, “I hear you — but there will be enough time, maybe even more, for everything that really matters, if I do this first”?

That little moment, right there before the sled takes flight, is exactly the kind of pause I want to carry into this coming year.

A simple way to begin:

1.      Start with a pause. Before the day gets going, take a minute or two to check in. How do you feel? What does your body or spirit need right now? No judgment, no fixing — just noticing.

2.      Choose one guiding intention. Not a whole list — just one word or quality to carry through the day, like calm, curiosity, or joy. Let it give your day a quiet spark of direction.

3.      Notice one moment of possibility. Pause at some point during the day and notice something you might usually rush past — a breath of fresh air, a small kindness, a glimmer of insight. One moment is enough — and if more come along, simply enjoy them.

New Year’s Day can be a naturally quieter time to try this — a perfect little pause before life gently settles back into its familiar rhythm. Take a moment and notice what’s calling to you.

As Hobbes says, looking at the freshly fallen snow, “It’s like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on!” Imagine your day that way — fresh, open, and full of possibilities.

Maybe that’s the secret to seeing life as magical: not that the world changes, but that we choose to see it that way.

My theme for the coming year? Slowing down enough to notice the possibilities right in front of me — and just writing this down makes my heart dance.

Why not give it a try this New Year’s Day? Take your own pause at the top of the hill, feel the quiet and the magical possibilities — and see where it takes you.

All quotes from: Watterson, Bill. It's a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1996.