Magic

We were sitting on the dock as the sun was beginning its slow retreat in the western sky turning the lake into a shimmering sea of gold. Both of us had our sunglasses on, faces on fire from the sparkling reflection. It was late afternoon, a time at home when we would be getting dinner started. But this place has rearranged our internal clocks beyond recognition. Late afternoon just means the sun is getting lower in the west and the lake is on fire. In a while it will be time for a paddle. The only sounds were the birds in the trees behind us, the muffled hum of a party boat in the distance and the soft splashing of water on the rocks on the shore. Dinner would have to wait.

Then Pam said something that captured my attention, although initially I misunderstood what she meant. “This place puts me in my place.” I found the phrase quite profound, even in my confusion. As she continued it became clear what she meant and for me it became even more profound. I will attempt a paraphrase…

“ When I’m at home, I am the center of my universe. I am at the center of all my plans, all the things that I have to accomplish and get done and check off my lists. But up here, I get put in my proper place. I am no longer the main attraction. I’m not the star of the show up here. I’m just sitting out in the audience enjoying the show. And it makes me feel small. Not in a bad way like insignificant, but small in the sense that my troubles are small. If God can create something this beautiful, he can hold onto me…”

Or, words to that glorious effect.

Most of you have a place like this. For some its the beach, for others its the mountains, for a small bizarre group of you its Disneyworld. For us, its here. Regardless of where it is, it is crucial that everyone find somewhere that puts you in the right place, somewhere that has the power to transform your perspective from inward to outward. When you do, its the closest thing to magic that you will ever possess.

Yesterday, we drove up to see a place on Three Mile Pond that had just been listed for sale. It looked promising and the price wasn’t ridiculous. It looked like it would be cloudy all day so we decided to go snoop around. When we drove down the driveway, we saw the owner tinkering around in the garage. He was very nice and answered our questions. He let us walk around the property a little and see the lake. We didn’t ask to go inside since we didn’t have an appointment. It was perfectly lovely…but it’s not for us. How do I know? No magic.

In our search for a lake house, the deciding factor for me at least is the presence or absence of magic. A place either has it or it doesn’t. I’m sure this is frustrating for my real estate agent and I’m not sure I have a working definition for what this magic is exactly. All I know is…its real. I felt it the first time I walked through the doors of Loon Landing. I felt it the first time I saw a sunset on Quantabacook. I felt it the first time all six of us watched a sunset on Crawford pond from the middle of the lake in our kayaks. Magic.

It’s out there somewhere, waiting for us. We will eventually find it.