Unexpected Magic

Last spring I got very sick: double eye infection, fever, sweats, cough, congestion, the whole “hit by a truck” look. My doctor ruled out covid, called it a nasty virus, prescribed some pills, and told me to rest.

The timing was terrible. Summer was coming, and that’s my busiest season. From late May through August, I drive from show to show, sometimes three in one day, mostly at libraries.

The medicine helped, and soon I could be around people again. But there was one big problem: I lost my voice.

If you’ve seen Magic in the Library Live, you know I talk a lot. I use magic to teach literacy skills to kids in schools and libraries, but I have to talk to do that. If I can’t talk, I can’t teach.

My calendar was packed, so I tried to make it work. On the drive to my first show of the season, a small-town west Texas library, I practiced my show script aloud. I could barely force out a word. If I kept speaking, I’d only make my voice worse. So, I made a quick choice: I would perform silently to music.

Stage magic is often performed in a pantomime style, with music guiding each beat and movement. I love working that way, but it takes a different kind of planning.

During the long drive, I built a quick playlist from favorite orchestral tracks I knew by heart. I arrived, set up, turned on the music, and performed. The audience loved it. The librarian, who I feared might be disappointed that I didn’t speak, asked me to come back next year and do it again. I found the results humorous. I wasn’t sure whether to be honored or insulted. Was my talk show that bad? Or was the music show simply that good?

That summer was a smash hit. I performed my spoken act only a couple of times. The rest of the season, I performed silently.

Since most summer shows are in public libraries, the teaching components can be lighter than when I present in schools. After the silent show, I still offered a short teach-in for families who stayed. I used a few small tricks to talk about fiction and nonfiction, genres, formats, comprehension, and more.

This series of unexpected magic was a major breakthrough for me.

Performing to music wasn’t new to me, but it was new to my clients and returning audiences. And it never would have happened if I hadn’t gotten sick.

Sometimes our greatest victories come after we’re pushed into discomfort. I’m reminded of Genesis 50:20: “…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good...”

No situation is so bad that it can’t be used for good.

Think of something hard you’ve faced, whether recently or long ago. Has it already been used for good? If not, how might you use that something to help someone else?

Whether you’re a teacher, librarian, parent, magician, cook, builder, accountant, or stamp collector, use what you love for the good of others. Even hard moments can become tools that help someone else grow.

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