Familiar Magic

I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I love it.  Every time I go into town I feel like it's welcoming me with a warm hug.  When I first arrived here, however, it felt mysterious and exotic.  I thought it would never feel homey, because it was just too amazing.  But I gradually found my way in its winding cobbled streets, recognized the lovely blend of architecture from the medieval to the modern, learned the best restaurants and cafes, figured out where the shortcuts and cab stands were hiding.  And as it became familiar, that edge of amazement wore off.  It's probably a good thing that it did, for constant awe can be exhausting, but it was a little sad too.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to go into a historic building in the city centre that has never been open to me before.  It was a lovely Regency mansion that looked out onto a cobbled square which I have walked through countless times.  But when I looked through the second-storey window of this mansion, the square was suddenly tinged with the exotic once again.  I fully expected to see Jane Austen walking there, observing the passers-by with an ironic twist to her lip.  It seemed completely possible that a dashing highwayman would doff his feathered hat at me.  I even thought I saw the ghost of a lady in white drift down the alleyway.

All it takes is a slight change of perspective to spark amazement.  Magic is waiting around every corner...in this city at least.