Below you will find:
  1. ​Tales of Ordinary Magic
  2. Conversations, with Jacqueline Woodson and Much More
  3. ​Unboxing, and an Appreciation
  4. Discussion Guides

1. Tales of Ordinary Magic

Ordinary magic: The ordinary experiences that help us set aside the everyday worries of life to unleash extraordinary change. Do you have a tale of ordinary magic? Please share it with me (gwalton @ stanford.edu)
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I totally just had an Ordinary Magic moment this morning. I've been in a bit of a funk lately and started obsessing about some midlife weight gain. I was literally lying awake at night looking at pictures of myself and reading up on stats about weight and fat distribution. Finally I realized that this wasn't problem-solving, this was ruminating, and I needed to reach out for help. I texted a friend and told her that I'd been having these feelings and thoughts and it was significant considering I had worked so hard to overcome an eating disorder when I was younger

​She pointed out how strong and resourceful I must be to have overcome an eating disorder. And that made me see it totally differently. I actually felt a light bulb turn on in my head. I could feel my heart actually warm up as I realized that of course this stage of life would be triggering but I was totally capable of living a happy life, and if I overcame an eating disorder, I could kick the ass of a midlife transition. And I could be an example for other women. And then I went for a leisurely walk through the beautiful fall trees and reconnected with what actually matters to me. I feel entirely different and it's only been a few hours.
I’m in the MS Design program which has a lot of freedom in the requirements and is pretty self directed in terms of how you can use your time. This was a primary reason I chose this program, because I was feeling stuck in my previous career and I realized I wanted to do work that was more interdisciplinary/less strictly defined by a job role.

But this quarter, the worries that came with that ambiguity started to crop up, and I ended up feeling pretty lost and directionless about what my career would look like following the program.

Yesterday, I was reflecting on this with friends in my cohort, since many of us have these same worries. And it suddenly clicked: “Oh, this is like symptoms as positive signals!”* Maybe the fact that we’re feeling the pain of dealing with ambiguity right now means that we’re actually doing the thing we came here to do and heading in a new and interesting direction. Perhaps this feeling isn’t something to try and get rid of, but actually a sign that I’m on the right track— this idea really shifted my perspective and helped me put some of those worries away.

* Howe et al. (2019). Changing patient mindsets about non-life-threatening symptoms during oral immunotherapy: A randomized clinical trial. 
My daughter has been missing a lot of school this year. Each time an illness goes through the house, she gets it for the longest. The school brought us in for a meeting to tell us that her absences are putting her behind in reading and math. My husband said we should force her to school today, even though she said she feels sick, since she was showing no signs (like vomiting) like the other kids had shown. I felt uncomfortable forcing her and bet that she felt somewhat sick but may be overdramatizing it.

​We tried to tell her how important school was. I tried to get her up to eat breakfast and she collapsed on the floor and wouldn’t eat. I went for a break and picked up your book as I ate my own breakfast. I came to the part about asking people their perspective. I realized that was the missing piece. No one had ask her for her perspective. So, I went upstairs and said, “What is it like for you, going back to school after an illness, especially when you aren’t all the way well.” She said she didn’t feel comfortable telling her teacher if she felt sick. That in the past, he had reprimanded her for moving slowly when she as tired, or talking to the person beside her to ask questions when she was missing information from being away. That made so much sense, why it only felt safe to go to school when feeling 100%. And now that we know the real problem, we can try to fix it. 
Your tale here! (Email me)

2. Conversations and More

​A Conversation with Jacqueline Woodson, through The Family Action Network (April 22, 2025)
Podcasts​
Radio
TV
News

3. Unboxing, and An Appreciation

Oliver opening the box from Penguin Random House (US publisher). Lucy opening the box from Hachette (UK publisher).
I'm a big fan of children's literature. I think it shows us some of the deepest truths. My great thanks to all the incredible authors whose works are depicted here, all of which are referenced in Ordinary Magic ( among many others, including Charlotte's Web, Matilda, The Phantom Tollbooth, Red at the Bone, and Sherlock Holmes). Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
The Apple Doll is one of the world's great belonging stories. And look at this incredible gift from Elisa Kleven--original art from The Apple Doll! I'm getting it framed and it will soon have a place of prominence on my wall. I could not be more grateful.

4. Discussion Guides
Copyright © 2025, Gregory M. Walton