It’s crazy–it doesn’t matter how many messages in bottles I find, each one feels like magic.

Now, I know well that there is nothing magic about messages in bottles. It’s all just physics and chance: the strength of the bottle, the speed and mood of the ocean, the luck of being in the right place at the right time.

But, the thing is…How can I say this? Even though there’s no magic involved, messages in bottles are still TOTALLY MAGIC!

I mean, they have the crazy power to create a friendship where there was nothing before. Just think about how incredible that is for a second.

As you go forth today, just look into the faces of strangers around you–in a cafe, at the grocery story, heck, even in your own office building or apartment building. What if–and I know this is crazy–what if you were just suddenly friends with them?

THAT is the magic of messages in bottles. They allow friendships to just *POOF* into existence. Pulling a message out of a bottle is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Today’s example connects Maine and Spain. According to WCSH, A few years ago, Terra Gallo sent a message in a bottle off Maine’s coast, and in Summer 2016 it was found in Spain. Terra and the finder were so excited, they started writing to each other and a friendship just kindled into existence out of nowhere. BAM. Just like that.

I am lucky to have felt the same excitement Terra and her new friend felt upon connecting. I felt it when I met Ed & Carol, and when I met Janet, and Kelvin, and Clint and Gwen, and Chris and John, and Phil and his family.

So, sure, in a way, there’s nothing magical about messages in bottles. They are just bits of rubbish floating around until someone finds them.

But, from a different point of view, I wonder: What could be more magical? We all know what it’s like to feel cut off, to feel not just alone, but lonely. And it is a big world full of strangers.

On the lonesome island of the human heart, each friendship is a precious flower that should be cared for and cherished. Every message in a bottle has the potential to sprout a friendship that can bloom for years.

That, my friends, is magic.