Dealing With Life

Once in a great while, I think to myself, "Self, sometimes you just let life boss you around and push you where it will!  Why don't you take control for once?"  This is usually followed by some crazy plot twist that I could never write, and I remember that we have so little control... life always has the winning hand up it's sleeve.

A lot has happened since I started this blog.  On a whim, we took a tour of a new neighborhood, fell in love with a house, and bought it.  We moved, then spent the last 2 1/2 months getting our old house ready for market.  As of today, the old place is officially sold.  That's a lot in a short period of time, but there was more.  Our niece got married, and we had both of my stepson's and their families staying with us for a few days (NEVER long enough).  A friend who I had worked with off and on for over a decade took her own life.  And, my professional life hit a bit of a bump.

There were times in my life that just one of these things would have put me in a tail spin.  Hell, just picking up a deck of cards and trying to do a convincing false shuffle could give me hives on a good day.  Make no mistake... it HAS been tough at times, yet I've been strangely calm, as if I'm certain it will all work out (just like I tell everyone else).  I've found that, more than ever, magic is giving me comfort and hope for my future - magic, my future?  That's not how this all started, but now...

I said as much to a couple of Magician friends.  One of them was the great Jeff McBride, who, with several partners, runs The Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas.  He's an important figure in the magic world, and honestly, we've only been friends through social media, and I've always been happily stunned to get his replies to my emails and comments about my blog.  At any rate, as I had been telling him about my magic goals, I thought I'd tell him that it was more important to me than ever.  He wrote me a kind email... then wrote a second one moments later.  In it, he suggested that I do 3 things... 1. watch a short Ted Talk about "The 5 Second Rule,"  which, in a nutshell, is all about acting on your impulses within 5 seconds of having them - or you'll never do them. 2. Go to his website and choose one of his training classes.  3.  Fill out a scholarship for that class.  Wow.

Somehow, I managed to hold on longer than 5 seconds.  After all, money is scary tight right now, I don't know what will be happening by fall, the house hadn't sold yet... all the thoughts that should have deep-sixed the impulse in less than 5 seconds.  In times like these, it's good to have the wonderful life partner I do.  I told Lori about it, and immediately there was no question that I should go for it (I think she already had Uber drivers lined up for Vegas in the first 5 seconds - she's that kind of cool).  

I find the session I want to attend.  I open the application.  And that's when I see that I need a letter of reference.   I should tell you that asking for a reference is out of my comfort zone.  You can take the boy out of the Midwest - you can't take the Midwest out of the boy.  I'm supposed to help others, not ask for help!   It took some gentle nudging from Lori, but I finally reached out to another wonderful Magician Friend - in many ways, my Creative Brutha, Kenton Knepper.  

I've been known to help him out with audio stuff, while he's been more than generous with his vast magic knowledge and skills.  I suppose you could say that we are a mutual admiration society, but I most certainly getting the better part of the bargain.  For instance, he didn't hesitate when I mentioned the letter.  He was also far too kind in singing my praises in the letter.  AND, it doesn't hurt that he's one of the teachers at the Magic & Mystery School from time to time.

 After this big set up, I guess it's no surprise that I'm going to the Magic & Meaning session in October, but it all feels a little surreal.  So much life, in such a short time.  Highs, lows, losses, wins.  And now, just maybe, life is agreeing with me about this whole magic thing.  Of course, with the people I have in my corner, I did have the deck stacked in my favor.