the wand chooses the wizard
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 6:41PM "Is this real, or has it been happening inside my head?"
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"
-- Dumbledore
I recently spent many days drinking in the magic of Disney, and one day basking in the magic of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.
Hogwarts is amazing, inside and out. No detail was left unattended to. The portrait hall was full of talking, moving pictures.
(And you'll have to forgive me here, they don't allow flash photography, and the light was quite dim -- these are pictures are far less than tack sharp.)
Dumbledore's office was several stories high, and featured a 3-D, talking hologram of the wizard himself.
The sorting hat barked orders at passersby.
The ride inside Hogwarts is also a state of the art, 3D experience. I've never seen anything like it.
Hagrid's Hut stood near the castle.
And the peaks of Hogsmeade are charmingly disheveled and snow-capped.
No matter that Florida provided a hot, sunny day for our visit -- Hogsmeade was full of snow and icicles.
(Pumpkin juice and Butterbeer are delightful remedies for a hot day, by the way.)
JK Rowling insisted that Universal hire the set decorators that worked on the Harry Potter films, and even the inside of the shops are quirky and piled to the ceiling with parcels and strange objects.
I was a bit perplexed as to why there are only three rides in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and why the entire portion of the park is only a couple of city blocks long.
Don't get me wrong, it was stunning. But it seemed to short change the epic story of Harry. Why is there no Hogwarts Express attraction? Wouldn't a roller coaster through Gringott's bank be fun (and scary!)? Most of the storefronts in Hogsmeade feature amusing window displays, but are for display only -- you can't go inside.
One of the few things that my sweet four year old could partake in was the demonstration inside Ollivander's wand shop. All of the Hogsmeade shops are small, as Rowling depicted them. And that means that you must wait in line until a space opens, as only 20-25 people are allowed in at a time.
(And let's not forget that Ollivander's is supposed to be in Diagon Alley, which I was rather surprised to see was not there at all.)
Inside the dim, cool shop, the door closes behind you, and Mr. Ollivander greets you. The audience stands silently as he peruses the onlookers.
He came up to my son and said, "Ah, yesss. I think you'd better come with me, my boy."
He explained that you might think you can just select a wand and use it for magical purposes, but no.
The wand chooses the wizard.
He gave my son several wands to try and various magical tasks to perform, all of which went awry. Clearly, because he had not found the correct wand yet.
And when the correct box was opened? A light from above. A choir.
This wand, made of "oak which is steadfast, loyal, and strong, with a core of dragonstring, which is excellent for healing and protection," would serve him well, Ollivander pronounced.
My boy was awestruck. Ollivander -- and the wand -- had chosen him.
That's exactly how I feel about this little company of mine. Yarn chose me. There were several times when I specifically said to my husband, "I will never want to get into dyeing yarn. That is too much work, and it's too messy."
And quite obviously, that made no difference whatsoever. It didn't matter that I said, "I won't be doing that." The yarn chose me.
I never woke up thinking, "If only I could start a yarn company, I would be truly happy," because I already had a job I enjoyed.
Here's my challenge to you: what might be trying to choose you? What are you saying no to that you can't quite push out of your mind? What would you do if you weren't too scared to try?
Reader Comments (12)
Well, I'll go first. Since I'm reading a website by the Yarnitsa, you know that I am a fiber person. I actually discovered this when I was very young but it's taken until now (I'm 50+) to really understand that I am and always have been a (small f) fiberista - Weaving and looms actually spoke to me when I was about 10 years old. I didn't realize the power then. I always was a maker. NOW(post- family raising) I am a spinner, knitter and weaver - and the weaver part is really taking off - though so is the spinner. The fibers now - so amazing -are inspiring me in ways I can't describe. There's literally nothing else that I can do. I totally understand what you're saying in this post. I so hope others can find their passion - it makes life so wonderful. And 'work' not such a job - it's joy every day no matter what.
I wish I could have been there to see his expressions in person!
I can easier think of the things that are not choosing me. Culinary school is not choosing me. Phlebotomy is not calling my name. And I don't sense any signals coming from Harvard Law School.
If any vocation is beckoning, it might have something to do with books, with flying a small plane, with talking, or with anatomy. What could all that point to?
:O
I love to bake. I went to the Art Institute to get my pastry certification and even though I barely squeaked by in all my schooling (a pitiful 2.6gpa) I ended up graduating with honors with a 4.0. They handed me the cord at graduation and I had to ask what it was for. I had no idea.
Ever since I talk to my girlfriend nightly about dreaming. She has moved to China, you see, as her hubby couldn't find teaching work where they were living. We talk about growing our own gardens, writing our own recipes, running a cafe. Fresh baked bread and homemade soup and home grown tea. Coffee! But not just any coffee. Ground on site, brewed the way it's meant to be instead of cooked. Good local milk that's sweet and creamy (and of course the lighter fair for those who worry about their waistline when surrounded by sweets) A specialty cake every day, and small cookies for small tables with reading nooks, and yarnie sections, and places where you can lay on a sofa with a good book and a soft skein of yarn and dream on a cold windy day (which are many here in Chicago).
Every time I take on a big cake I usually end up frustrated in tears (and yet it always makes me stop, breathe, and make a better product), claiming I don't know why I ever took to baking, why I would ever stress myself out this way and I should stick to knitting because it's the only thing I've ever been good at.
Here's the thing. Good business sense runs in the family. I could run a business top to bottom no sweat. But I haven't the guts to create that cafe. Think of the capital, the responsibilities. What if my recipe experiments flop? What if I can't get that customer base I dream of? What if the economy drowns me when I still have my gma paying my mortgage? I'm still only a temporary employee, I can't handle all this. And yet..taking care of people is what I do. I can't just turn it off. That terrifies me to no end!
(Sorry about the novel, I do tend to overthink things haha)
I have a few things on my too scared to try list:
* go to culinary school to be a pastry chef
I'm scared of this because then I would need to do something with the degree, like ----
* Open a small scale bakery. The one in my town closed a few years back and has left a huge void
*Jump into the knitwear design business.
I'm really close to facing this one with the current design call, I have the ideas, but am scared of pulling it off
Well, maybe the fish chose me? I took two years of science for non-majors and said I would never do science. The Chemistry and Physics were too hard. Then I decided to just try anyway and fell in love with Zoology. I don't do as much learning about fish now, but it does seem to be leading me down a path rather than the other way around! It's evolving into more project management about things that affect biology, but I like that part too.
I'd continue my glassblowing classes and maybe someday have a shop to sell my glass cups, bowls, vases, etc. Still have a lot to learn though!
Get back to horseback riding since I haven't been ever since my lovely pony boy went blind. Become a yoga instructor. Paint. Tour the world and buy a 2nd home. Build our home/barn on land of our own. Writing. Bookshop. There is a lot calling to me. Maybe I need to get busy.
Loved the wand choosing you story! And the pix. You're right - definitely should be more to the Harry Potter section. I still want to go though.
Mine is more of a fantasy house. I have this dream where I buy a chunk of land and build a mini village on it... Each building would be one room - a cottage for my bedroom, a mini school house for my craft room, a little church for my gathering space. A tiny shop for my storage/books, etc. All around a town square/garden. Wouldn't that be cool? I would have a little gypsy vardo tucked away behind for my get away, reading nappy space. Hee hee.
Oh goodness. I think you were talking directly to me.
wow. it is so true, life isn't always the way we chose. more often than not I feel like I have been shoved onto a path that is not my own. the past week has really stretched me to the breaking point, and while today I finally have all the kinks out of the family dilemma, all I have been able to think about is how there should be someone or somewhere I can turn for help. guidance. a shoulder to cry on,someone to really listen. when you have no one, where can you turn. and I don't know where this thought is going but I believe that I am supposed to reach out. maybe I'm supposed to be a counselor, or a protester, or a community leader. I don't know, but I do want to make sure that the people out there who are busting their butts, who are doing what's expected and more, the ones who really want and deserve some help, some recognition, someone to let them know they matter...those people need an advocate and somehow it needs to be me. thanks for allowing my rant!!!
The last couple sentences of your post made me cry, because I know exactly what is and has been trying to choose me, yet I'm too afraid of a multitude of "what ifs" to really try it. Maybe one day though. And thanks for the reminder.
I have been struggling with this for awhile now..after serving 20 years in the military as a Helicopter Engine Mechanic and then 10 years as a 911 Police Dispatcher, I was feeling stressed, tired beyond exhaustion and ready for a change...I struggled and struggled against the choice that was throwing itself at me over and over.
Finally, I did chose to retire...As of 1 January I will be starting on a new adventure and I am starting to get excited. It was as difficult as any choice a person could make and sometimes it scares me, but it will be a good start to a new year.