The Regenerative Power of Amazement

"Magic" evokes amazement and astonishment. The above picture shows me amazing a couple of women at the Ithaca Farmers Market in Ithaca, NY. I love being able to give people the gift of this kind of laughter and amazement!

I believe one's life degenerates into an uncreative, dull necessity without amazement. The ability to be astonished, or amazed, allows us new glimpses into the ordinary, and opens doors to the extraordinary. This stimulus of astonishment keeps life fresh, interesting and vital in a society weighed down with practical necessity and routine.

It's HEALTHY to be amazed! People who are deprived of access to that experience, or shut it off within themselves, are likely to tire, become depressed, rigid, and lifeless. Amazement is a sign of vital life.

Take a moment to think back over your day today. Was there anything "magical" about it, or romantic? Did you look at some ordinary thing in a startling new way that gave you a smile or turned your head? Did anything extraordinary put you in a state of wonder today? Or was your day humdrum, routine, predictable and boring? We were not born to be 100% practical – we need some magic in our lives!

When you are in the grip of astonishment it is impossible to be tired. A tired life is a life drained of magic. It’s also impossible to be depressed. One thing I’ve noticed over the years of performing close-up magic for people: the moment of amazement is almost always accompanied by smiles and laughter.

People often ask me whether I know how other magicians do their tricks. Well, I know some, and there are a lot I don't know. Sometimes I don't know because of simple ignorance, but often (especially when it comes to large scale illusions) it's because I don't want to know. Why? Because I like being amazed just as much as I like amazing other people, and if I know I'm not going to be doing a particular trick myself, I will often times forego learning the secret in order not spoil that childlike sense of amazement that other magicians can evoke in me.

I’m blessed to have fallen in love with magic as a child. It has kept me young. I hope you have found the magic in your life, too, and that it continues to amaze and inspire you.