A magical read

I just finished reading a book that delves into the life of Dai Vernon, the man considered by many to be the greatest magician of 20th century, and his search for an elusive sleight. I love history and this book, The Magician and the Cardsharp, deals with the history of magic in very entertaining prose. I cannot recommend it highly enough for magicians or fans of magic

What was striking about the story was Dai Vernon's obsession with cards and sleight of hand. He would spend hours, often staying up all night working on various tricks and moves. This explains why he was not only so great as a card mechanic, but also such a a prolific magic creator.

I've realized lately, that I'm not nearly as good as I want to be, when it comes to sleight of hand. This kind of thinking can often derail me as I can easily get discouraged. It's helpful then, to realize that magic is an art that I will practice over a lifetime. I'm running a marathon not a sprint as the old saying goes. I will always be improving. This is the kind of thinking I need to apply to other areas of my life. For example, my health and fitness. If you're like me, perhaps you get discouraged when you begin a a new workout routine and don't see the results you expect after a few weeks. It's helpful to remember that results, changing your body composition, happens with the culmination of 100's and 1,000's of workouts. One must simply be committed to long term, lifetime, practice. Whether that's a new workout, learning an instrument, teaching yourself how to code, growing a new business, or learning card tricks.

Until next time, remember magic is everywhere,

Cecil