Magic eye

Recently, I volunteered at a Diwali event for kids, and it was a lot of fun! I read Rama & Sita: The Story of Diwali to them, and the kids were absolutely adorable. Thankfully, my partner’s sister had shared some fantastic tips on how to keep them engaged. I made the story interactive by getting the kids to "boo" and "hiss" whenever the demon appeared, and shout "hurrah!" when something good happened. The room was filled with giggles and cheers, and their enthusiasm was contagious. Seeing them so immersed in the story made the whole experience even more special.

Then, something unexpected happened. As I was wandering around the event, a woman approached me and handed me what looked like a Magic Eye print from the 90s. Remember those? You stare at it forever, and eventually, a 3D image is supposed to pop out. I’ve never had much luck with them, so I admitted, "Yeah, I haven't had too much luck with these." But she insisted I try again. She seemed so calm and wise in her sari that I felt I had to give it another shot.

So there I was, staring at this image, feeling a bit of pressure to finally see whatever was hidden. Just then, another woman helping run the event overheard and said, "Oh, I can’t see those! I have astigmatism!" I was like, "Same! I'm not sure this will happen for me." But the first woman wasn’t having it. She said, "That doesn’t matter. You will see it. Keep trying."

She then told me to look at my reflection and said, "I promise you’ll see the most beautiful image." I was curious and kept staring. And, lo and behold, after a few more moments, I saw it - a 3D image of a Buddha figure, clear as day! I couldn’t believe it.

A little boy nearby must’ve seen my face light up because he came over and asked to see it too. Within seconds, he let out a big "Wow!" and I knew he saw it as well.

Before I left, the woman said something that stuck with me: "It’s your mind that believes you can’t see it. The mind is powerful. It can help you manifest anything you want. What do you want?"

What started as a fun day of storytelling turned into something more thought-provoking. Her words left me reflecting on how often we limit ourselves just because we think we can’t do something. How many opportunities have we missed simply because we believe they’re out of reach? I’m definitely going to put my mind to the test and see if I'm holding on to anymore self limiting beliefs and perhaps I'll give manifesting a try and see if there's more to it than meets the eye.