How a metaphorical fall from a tight-rope, led to me digging for magic in what seemed like a magicless world. How I felt becoming Harry Potter discovering he was a wizard.
“No matter what your head says, you got magic in you, somewhere in there.” - me to me. I first found magic again through watching a raw and real youtube video, filled with heartache, suffering and gut-wrenching grieve. It was powerful and didn't hold back on anything, it made me feel again. I felt like Harry Potter discovering he was a wizard. I felt my average sub-par lockdown existence change, and be replaced with magic and if Harry survived living in the cupboard. I can survive 6 weeks in a 3-bedroom farmhouse in Ohaupo.
This mindset led to me actively trying to seek out magic through more emotion-causing videos. If I was going to be held a prisoner within these walls and my head, except for the two days I am an essential worker. I was going to fill the rest of the prison with as much magic as I can. I started discovering more authentic videos, that made my head sizzle and pop like a cold sausage hitting an oily pan.
These videos were just people doing them, so bravely and freely. It was inspiring to me. To me, inspiration is defined as the passing on of your sparks of magic, out into the world. I was in a weird state, so I sadly didn't save or remember all the magical videos but some of them are listed below: These are my most played videos of the past month.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqIVWlq6IRg - BGT - SOS for the kids. When the kids start singing at 56seconds, as they hit you with their opening chorus. It really made my heart sink and soar at the same time. It was like my heart was a losing beyblade getting shot out of a plastic arena, and landing on a field of clouds. “This is an SOS from the kids/All the grown-ups take the fizz/We’re finding our voice and calling you out/You can’t leave the world in fire & drought/This is an SOS from the kids.” I got tingles typing that out, because I was imagining the video in my head. It's so magical I don’t even need to see it.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNfMs2ZWvzM - Singalong with Us. This is a choir formed from an older sister to help her younger brother suffering from cerebral palsy. The song would usually put me off because it's so over-used and cliche but this version is beautiful! You see all the faces of the kids and teenagers and everyone is smiling! You can really see the fun and love on their faces. You can tell they really love what they are doing and that's what I'm striving for! Finding that love. I got a route but the path isn’t finished yet. This video is just magical.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVy7KfVvoU&list=RDcVVy7KfVvoU&start_radio=1 - The Script Live at Aviva Staduim. I have previous magic associated with this song, as it was the song I spent lost in my first loves eyes when they performed live at spark arena. Sadly, that magic was corrupted through my own stupidity and toxicity a few years later. So, when i first came across this video it was by accident. I was deep into writing and I noticed the end chorus and went to go change the song but as I clicked on the tab to change it. It was playing at 5minutes 45seconds, the most magical moment of the video. They are finishing performing A Man Who Can’t Be Moved to their home crowd of just over 50,000 people and they are finishing there song and Danny goes and seats on the edge of the walkway and just sits there as the whole stadium is screaming and cheering and he opens his arms like he's soaring and fck me I soar too. This is a visual representation of “Sitting on Top of The World”. Another sitting on top of the world visual is that iconic image of Travis Scott at AstroWorld atop of the scalloding and looking across a sea of people. These moments are magical and something I love being apart of.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuDS6IUcuI4&list=RDcVVy7KfVvoU&index=3 - Kodaline - All I Want (Live) - This is magical because it has so much emotions and raw feelings behind the performance. It's breath-stealing. It's getting lost for 9minutes and coming to warm and fuzzy. I think the simplicity and sensitiveness of the performance with the audience’s interaction just made me get lost in another song I would have otherwise guessed. It is just so hollow and endearing, it is impossible to skip this and I lose 9 minutes everytime it comes on.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY9nScis4YE&list=RDcVVy7KfVvoU&index=10 - Boys Like Girls (Live) - Home Crowd - From start to finish this video is powerful and impactful, it's magical. The video opens up the lead singer talking about where they started eating noodles to now performing on the stage he graduated on, and how he’s performing to a full crowd. Then the guitars kick in and the band just melts, and the crowd melts even more. The band plays like their souls are destined to be there and the crowd is melting because of it. The electricity and flow between band members made my heart soar and also yearn for the 90’s where they had pearl jam, goo goo dolls, bon jovi, GNR, SkidRow, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Fatboy Slim etc I could go on.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZM0QiuUS8&list=RDcVVy7KfVvoU&index=11 - Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (Live 2004) - This favourite is a lost favourite of mine and I am so glad I re-discovered this video. This video is a visual representation of one of my dream days would be: A crowd filled a people before phones were a thing and moments mattered more, so people felt and enjoyed more and you can see this here and the run is pissing down but the band won’t stop cause the crowd wont stop and people are wet and cold but they feel warming and beautiful because they are so lost in the moment and that is something that is lost in modern society.
- https://www.skysportnow.co.nz/category/upcoming?gclid=CjwKCAjwkun1BRAIEiwA2mJRWefORnqidx5Wu1nN12a6_aIpdDguhKPCZaQKOI3YjgdI6lY60xcsGhoCr54QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds - UFC 249 - This was the first live-event in months and do did it deliver? I sat on the couch all day and didn't move a muscle because I was so lost in the modern-day gladiators destroying each other. There was no crowd but that made it so much more special because it showed you a little behind the scenes and made the fighters seem more human as you heard the banter in between rounds and after Cerrone loses to Pettis in a close-fought war. Cerrone is heard saying “It feels so good, doing what I love. Thank you.”- this was addressed to pettis would just bloodied and bruised him. This was an extra special magic moment in a magical event.
However, the majority of the magical videos were lost. I believe some magic is only destined to be found once and appreciated as a special moment in time. Most of society doesn’t appreciate moments and during my 3 week bad spell, I was one of these people. Rediscovering these videos, made me also rediscover myself before the lockdown. The me who drove a friend to Rotorua at 12am for a slay, the me who met a girl on tinder one day and within 5 hours was at hers for 3 days, the me who’d pay for concerts without even knowing the line-up, the me who’d randomly rock over to a mates uninvited cause I felt like it, the me who throw myself off cliff sides into the narrowest of water landings and the me who lived in every moment twice.