Someone once told me ,” Make a fairytale and live in it" and that’s how I have chosen to live my life. I have always wondered why people question the existence of magic or ask have you experienced it? Doesn’t everyone? Isn’t LIFE magic. I first noticed magic as a child when things happened around me that I could never explain nor understand then, little things, a lost favorite toy suddenly turning up in an unusual place , a near miss accident wondering how could I have reached the other side of the road when I hadn’t crossed as I was clearly frozen in the middle of the road or a lost airline ticket…. I remember this one so vividly like it happened yesterday. I was newly married travelling to take the blessing of Lord Tirupati at Bangaluru(Bangalore then). A shy, timid, scared girl on her first trip with a near stranger (read arranged marriage)still getting to know each other wanting to be responsible and on their best behavior. We flew from Mumbai and reached our hotel. My husband (ex now)asked me to hand over our tickets for safe keeping as it had our return flight coupon ( no e-tickets then) . I promptly opened my purse to pull the tickets out and to my horror no tickets. I frantically rummaged around in my purse with my heart in my mouth not knowing what my husband’s reaction would be and not wanting to appear careless and irresponsible. I could see the frustration on his face as I emptied my purse on the bed with one last hopeful wish for the tickets to miraculously spill out. I looked up at my husband with a scared look and told him I didn’t have the tickets. I prayed like I have never prayed before that my lost tickets be found. My husband called the airline to report the lost tickets and they gave us the airport number. I was scared to even make eye contact but the surprise and disbelief in his voice made me look at him. By then my heart was beating fast for I knew the magic had happened. My husband turned to me and said the cleaning crew had found our tickets under the seat and handed them over to the airport staff. What were the odds, that they didn’t bin them. I do not question the how and why I know HE watches . The intuition or the angel voice whispering in my ear to pay heed or avoid a certain route or miss a trip or make a different choice . If not magic what is it. That is not to say LIFE is a cakewalk. I have faced my share of challenges just like everyone else. A broken marriage, returning from US a single parent , unsure how I would manage but once again the magic enveloped me , my parents and sister showered me with love and supported me no questions asked. They gave me the confidence to pick myself up and convinced me to go back to college to learn new skills that I would need to restart my life . After completing my catering course I realized the hotel industry was not where I wanted to be as it meant long hours away from my 6 month old daughter. So I chose to teach at the same college, which meant I could see my daughter on all the holidays and didn’t miss out on her growing up. It also meant I didn’t make enough to support us but my miracles didn’t stop and there was always a bonus, a reward or a promotion in the wings at just the right time. Just as my needs grew so did the opportunities that knocked at my door. When my daughter was a teenager I chose to join an organization as a Trainee and where I worked for 20years. I experienced the magic of my transformation into a self sufficient, confident and independent woman, I am today. Over the years I carried my passion for teaching and felt I had to give some of what the universe had provided me back to the world and chose to move into the Learning and Development department in my company where everyday was a magical journey watching the transformation and metamorphosis of scared interns and associates into confident individuals and possibly future business leaders. The immense joy and satisfaction being a part of that magic is just unimaginable. I also knew that magic transcends material need and once my daughter was settled I knew I owed it to myself to pursue my true dream, to give to the community what I had received. So after 20years I decided to quit the corporate world and moved to another city without any idea what I was going to do and how. But I was confident the magic was with me. So here I am capturing fairytales for people and designing art so magical that it would leave no doubt in their minds that magic exists. Just as I penned this off , this morning my house help brings me an earring and says I found this under the sofa. Lo and behold it was my favorite gold one. I lost it a week ago in the shower or so I thought and had given up on ever finding it again. It has been playing on my mind but i consoled myself thinking maybe it had served its purpose. Just as i was resigning myself to never seeing it, there it pops up in the most unexpected place ....Miracles/Magic continues …feeling blessed. Create your magic and pay it forward with love. - Gopali