June 13

Think of a card, any card in the deck.

When I was a child, I fell in love with magic. I remember watching

a Doug Henning special on TV and actually believing that there were people in the world who could bend the laws of physics by making things levitate, disappear, and switch places. As I grew into my late childhood, I knew that these were only illusions, but I was still in love with the feel- ing of awe that a well-performed magic trick could inspire. Although my sleight of hand skill has waned from a lack of practice, I still have a suit- case of magic gear ready to pull out whenever the occasion calls for it. (Hey, look under your chair right now. Just kidding.)

What is it about magic that excites us? My friend Harris, who is a professional illusionist, calls it “wonder” and believes that it’s an essential element of creativity. To make things that the world has never seen, we must first be able to imagine their existence. This requires us to traffic in a kind of shadow world, just beyond our senses. It almost feels like wishful thinking or willing something into existence. It’s very similar to childlike play. We must believe in impossible things.

Do you have a sense of wonder in your life, or has it faded a bit? Take a few moments today to remember what it felt like to be a child and to see possibility in the world around you. That sense of wonder is the antidote to cynicism and snark, which are the enemies of creativity.

Embrace wonder in your life. Don’t allow the magic to die.

QUESTION

What inspires awe and wonder in you? How can you experi­ ence it today?