The snow from a few days ago is still coating the ground and decorating the trees. It was a busy holiday season. I’m tired and not feeling myself. What I need is to reignite my joy and cultivate more whimsy in my life. It’s time to visit the fairy trail. The South Mountain Fairy Trail is a community project where children and families create fairy houses from (mostly) natural materials and decorate a trail with them.
I’ve been making fairy houses in my backyard since I could remember and really never stopped. I love the quaintness, the natural materials, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate the extensive folklore. In Ireland and Scotland stories of the fae or fairies have been around for centuries. Most stories involve trickery, kidnapping, and punishment. Not what you would expect from the beautiful little fairies we see in American pop culture. However, I don’t believe the fairies are all bad, like humans, there’s some who are good, some not so much.
Anyways, we went to the fairy trail, snow fell from the branches. It was quiet and calm. Despite my frozen toes and red nose, I couldn’t be happier. We walked along the trail as each house reveled themselves. They were covered in snow and I couldn’t help but imagine the fairies inside, enjoying a warm drink and staying warm.
The landscape and magic lifted me up. The stress, exhaustion, and dissociation I had felt that morning started to melt away (unlike the soft snow at my feet). Sometimes it’s that simple. A fix for a bad day is as simple as taking a few moments to nurture that whimsical and imaginative self within you. It can be. A fun craft, a new book, or a walk through a fairy trail.
Remember to take care of yourself and nurture your whimsy!
This Magical Life 
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