Looking Where They Want You To

Like all nerds, I went through a magic phase as a preteen.

Of course, this was the 80s. No internet. No YouTube. But my neighbor was a basement magician. He and my Dad would sit around and drink beer, and I’d get the benefit of watching and learning some basic magic. So I soaked it up, and he taught me some stuff. I wasn’t very good, and then, you know, girls caused me to lose interest.

You’ve probably seen a good magician work their art.

It really seems magical, although you know intellectually that you’re just really looking where they want you to. It’s an illusion. Sleight of hand. Not real magic.

But if you want to enjoy it for the art it is, you suspend your intellectual knowledge, and you simply look where they want you too.

Be careful, though, when it’s not a magic show.