Magic Wand

When my children were young I would sometimes get panicky feelings about them when my husband and I were at a party or out to dinner. There was nothing practical I could do about my fear, so I would change my thoughts of worry about them for thoughts of a powerful force field I was erecting around them to protect them. I had a little song that I sang to myself: I draw a circle around my child to keep them safe from dangers wild. This is a legitimate use of "magical thinking" that won't get us into trouble. Our imagination, instead of causing us pain by negative imaging of what can go wrong, can go into creating images of something positive and comforting. Who knows, it might even do some good.

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