“Sometimes you don't see it coming—BAM!— The magic of life hits you. One minute, you're wallowing around and can't get out of bed and the next, you're so hyped on life that you're out there doing things you'd never thought you'd do. Claiming things you'd never thought that'd be yours. Smilin' at people (random people!) just because it feels so damn good to be alive!

Life is so much more fun when the magic hits you. I wish I would have recognized it sooner. I would get so locked into a survival-pity-searching-wandering-asking cycle that I rarely ever spent time in one of the most important ones: the receiving cycle.

It's easy to step into. You just take notice of what you like around you and speak it aloud. Do you love the smell of your coffee in the morning? Great! Say it. "I love the way this coffee smells this morning." Do your sheets feel soft and welcoming after a long day? Say it.
"My sheets feel amazing to be on." Did you enjoy the meal you've made? Are you happy your favorite song came on the radio? Did someone give you exceptional service? Say it! It doesn't matter if anyone else is around to hear it. All that matters is you give that happiness a voice.

You'll notice when you're locked in it. Things change. The world changes. Suddenly, things don't look as bleak. You don't feel like you're sinking into oblivion. Something inside you shifts and you begin to appreciate the box just as much as the gift it holds inside. The more you give voice to the good things, the more good things you notice. The receiving cycle... it's powerful. Life-changing powerful.

And yeah, you'll dip out of it from time to time and go back into the survival-pity-searching-wandering-asking cycles again, but it's easier to come back to the receiving cycle because you never forget how you were moved in those moments. You don't forget when you experience the real magic of the world.

People work too hard to get in the receiving cycle. They use it to invite the big things in life: Money. Houses. Jobs. Cars. There are thousands of books and manuals written on it, but that's not the true receiving cycle, that's the asking cycle. When you're too busy focused on bringing in the big things you miss all the little things. You miss what's really important. Once you start taking notice of the little things, you realize you don't need any of the big things anymore. Crazy how that works, right? That's it's magic though, and it will always take you by surprise.”

Stories from the Dead
Mediumship channels through Jamie Homeister