Slight of Hand

My fingers are stupid.  I came to that conclusion as I was practicing some card magic last night.  Actually, I'm flattering myself; all I was really doing was shuffling the deck.  It was just a simple overhand shuffle - the first shuffle you learn playing cards as a child.  Yep, a child can do it.  Then why did half the deck end up on the floor?  Stupid, fat fingers.

Now, since I started this blog with the intention of full disclosure regarding my journey back into magic, I must admit that I was trying to do a little magic "move" as I mixed up the cards.  Still, it was disheartening to see it all fall apart, again, for the 22nd. time in a row.

Dai Vernon said, "Practice does not make perfect.  Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect."  My first instinct is to take that to mean that I'm practicing the move wrong to the point of never being able to do it correctly, but that's my own self-doubt talking.  Maybe it simply means that I have to stop trying to do the move wrong.  I obviously missed something in the particular description of the move I was attempting, something that my stupid fingers need to learn so that I can "practice perfectly."

On the other hand, I'm putting a lot of pressure on my old, senile digits.  I started this because it was something I enjoy, something I wanted to pursue deeper for the sheer delight of it.  So I drop a few cards, who cares?  I do.  And as long as I don't get it right, I'm not about to risk screwing up a trick in front of others.

One advantage age gives me is being aware that there is never a quick, easy short-cut to learning.  I'm less than 2 weeks into serious, dedicated practice, my fingers are supposed to be stupid.  I might get frustrated, but it's all part of the process.

I might be more slight than sleight of hand now, but as long as I keep picking up the cards and trying again, I stand a better chance of improving than if I let them lay there.