The Quiet Magic of Everyday Life
Roald Dahl, the masterful storyteller behind so many childhood classics, once offered a simple yet profound reminder: “Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you.” In those words lies an invitation—to step into each day with open eyes and an open heart, to notice not just what is, but what could be.
Too often, we move through life in a haze of routine. We scroll, we rush, we check things off a list. In doing so, we risk losing sight of the beauty that quietly waits for us in the background—the sunlight filtering through a curtain, the smile of a stranger, the rhythm of raindrops against a window.
But Dahl calls us back to something older, something childlike and sacred: wonder. When we return to wonder, we begin to see again—not just look. A sidewalk crack becomes a miniature world. An elderly face becomes a living novel of time and tenderness. The ordinary, when seen with glittering eyes, becomes extraordinary.
Magic, as Dahl understood it, isn’t something that happens in fairy tales alone. It’s tucked into the corners of everyday life. It’s the quiet joy of a shared laugh, the warmth of being understood, the surprising beauty of something overlooked. It’s not about fantasy—it’s about perception.
And when we begin to believe in this kind of magic, the world softens. We slow down. We start to pay attention. We become more open to surprise, more alive to possibility. We’re no longer just passing through life—we’re present in it.
This shift can begin with something as simple as being still. Looking. Listening. Letting our imagination breathe again through art, nature, music, or storytelling. As we do, we not only enrich our own lives but give silent permission for others to do the same.
Roald Dahl’s own life was far from easy—he knew war, loss, and hardship. Yet he never lost that sense of wonder. He wrote not to escape life, but to reveal its hidden layers of meaning and magic. In that way, his legacy lives on not just through his books, but through the eyes of anyone willing to see the world as he did: with delight, curiosity, and hope.
So today, take a moment. Look around. Watch with glittering eyes. Because when we choose to see the world differently, we help to make it different—not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us.