By Sandie Marrinucci

She stands in the middle of the room dancing and spinning around in her blue sequined princess dress. It’s an amusing exhibition of confidence, creativity, and joy. A magical, spontaneous moment offered to the world from the heart of a five-year-old girl. 

“This beautiful little soul lives in the moment and finds miracles everywhere she goes.”

Her pockets are filled with the bits and pieces of life she calls her treasures—tiny glistening rocks, a colorful leaf, shells, feathers, twigs, and flower petals. A butterfly that lands on her little hand is an enchanted fairy with magical powers. A lost tooth brings an opportunity for magic to visit while asleep and dreaming. 

She greets the day with messy hair and a smile, anxious to discover more of the world that surrounds her. She is outspoken, theatrical, funny, artistic, and boisterous, but also quiet, kind, and oh so loving! She is my granddaughter, and she is teaching me how to live—again. 

We go to the park and, on the way, we pick a bouquet of wildflowers. She teaches me to stop and appreciate the obscure little flowers by the side of the road and I teach her how to blow on a dandelion to make a wish. 

We bring out the crayons, markers, paint, and paper and let our creativity pour out. She draws and paints hearts. Lots of them; each one a masterpiece. I paint butterflies and landscapes but no masterpieces. 

One morning she presents me with a map she drew, telling me that we are going on a treasure hunt through the village to one of her favorite stores. 

It’s a beautiful, sunny day so we set off with our purses and our map. We are looking for specific symbols that will tell us if we are headed in the right direction. Since the clue was a circle, we of course find them everywhere. 

Her treasure map brings us to the store in question, where she selects and pays for three small items—a pen, an eraser, and a tiny notebook with a unicorn on the cover—with the few dollars she has in her little purse.

Mission accomplished. 

As adults, I’ve found that we lose touch with spontaneous, joyous moments as well as the miraculous ones. We smile less and worry more. We look for things to do, instead of ways to be. We forget the past and fear the future. 

Although she has never heard of him, my girl in the blue sequin dress has revealed to me what writer and philosopher Albert Camus wrote many years ago: “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” 

The lesson is this: If you find yourself blind to the beauty that surrounds you, or numb to the joy that can be found in the everyday, find someone who can help you rediscover the best life has to offer. 

“Gigi, what’s taking you so long?” my granddaughter beckons. “Come on, I’m waiting for you!” 

Sandie Marrinucci was nine years old when she first put pencil to paper to tell a story. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with writing. She is now an award-winning and published author and has led employee communication and engagement programs as well as corporate events for international companies. She currently splits her time between Houston and San Diego to be close to family and to feed her passions for writing, beach sunsets, and an occasional piece of dark chocolate. Read more articles by Sandie at her website at www.sandiemarrinucci.com. Find her on Facebook and Instagram.