Magic feathers

It's not often I notice a status update from my son on Facebook that makes me want to 'copy and paste' but today he posted this - "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick. I've not heard that quote before but it made me smile, and think of the Disney animation where Dumbo has his magic feather that he believes will make him fly.
Then I came to think there are so many occasions in life where you believe something is making you do something when in effect, you are doing it all yourself. Like a small child learning to walk, who has the lightest of grasp on your fingertip yet when they realise they have let go, they fall over. Then one day they let go and just keep walking. They didn't need that fingertip after all! Like me learning to swim when I was in my late 20s. Without that small piece of polystyrene float in front of me, I would surely sink. I watch the students at the school I work in going into exams with good luck charms, and I know that whenever I am in a situation where I need a little emotional back up - like when the Husband was in hospital recently - I always put on a gold necklace that my parents gave me and I also know I spend a lot of time touching it when I have an anxious moment. We believe that these things are getting us through a difficult time or helping us achieve something, when really we have the strength to do it all by ourselves.
Guess we all have our 'magic feathers' in some way or another.