My favorite fairytale when I was a child was Cinderella. And the Disney movie has a fantastic moment when the fairy godmother shows up. She had a magic word:

Bibbity boppety boo!

Cinderella has worked within the system she was given, but the system was rigged. Her evil stepmother served her up to be torn down.

But the magic of her godmother worked when all hope was lost.

The middle ages had a secret study of the mystery which transformed basic things to into precious ones.

Those alchemists practiced The Art to unlock the secrets of the cosmos and transmute lead into gold. As they stretched their understanding, they attempted to manifest their hopes and desires. How far did they get? What did they achieve?

Every day I get up and hope to take my basic day and find the treasure, turn the straw into gold. What art am I practicing? Is it art at all?

I am committed to this weekly wonder essay. I make my attempt, and sometimes I am pleased with what I create. Often I am disappointed, but only practice makes perfect. And really, perfect is not in reach even with practice.

I set aside time for this art. I take time away from my work—both in my house and for my job—to do this. Stuff I do every day is not high art.

I string words together. I write emails, reports, meeting agendas. As a project manager I make plans and gather info to give everyone their “next action” assignments.

With the amount of words I string together it can feel as ordinary as old cardboard. And yet I am building a container for the magic to happen. Those words add the energy and motion which morphs the wish into a reality.

An idea into a design, then into a list of materials and finally into a system that works and connects to itself and others.

I know things don’t always turn out, Cinderella. And then again, dreams do come true. I’ll make a plan and think about it while I fall asleep. I can wake up and write it down. Then scratch it out and try again. If I keep persist it has a reasonable chance to come true