One question I often think about is “What is magic?” And the answer can vary for so many people. Sometimes magic could just be a coincidence, sometimes it’s spells and using supernatural powers, sometimes it’s misdirection, and other times it’s plain old sleight of hand. But why does this thought fascinate me so much? Every person will have a different experience with magic and what magic is to me might not be what magic is to you. So, let me tell you my story.
While I was working hard as a plumber, my life was on a promising carer trajectory, I had a secure job, I was getting my paycheck every week and as most people know it is hard to find a poor plumber. But it wasn’t my dream, it was a job. Then in 2014 I was struck with a mysterious illness. My body shut down, my IgE, the allergic response in my body clocked over 18,000 whereas it should be under 100. My skin broke out in an uncontrollable rash, it covered every inch of my body, scratching and scratching 24hrs a day. My skin was everywhere all over the house, the bed, the car, my clothes all covered with dead skin. Nothing helped, I tried everything, creams, drugs, natural remedies, different diets. I saw chronic disease specialist, GP’s, Haematologists, dermatologists, naturopaths. Nothing helped. I felt like giving up, I felt like my world was collapsing, my life was over. This went on for almost 3 years. When my body gave up, I had no choice but to quit plumbing. At this point in my life my wife and I had just moved from Victoria to the Sunshine Coast. My wife didn’t have a job (story for another day). So, when I got sick, we had no income coming in, nothing, not a cent. How the heck were we going to survive?
Prior to getting sick I was getting addicted to magic, it was consuming my life. I loved it! Learning sleight of hand, the art of misdirection, how to perform, how to engage with an audience. There is so much happening with magic while there isn’t anything happening at all. And every spare moment I got I was reading, watching and devouring the art of magic. I even tried out new tricks while I was working as a plumber. And once I started getting amazing reactions, I wanted it more! Deep down my secret dream was to become a magician, I thought that would be the coolest job in the world. My transition wasn’t what I expected.
Busking
On the streets of Mooloolaba
This was one of my better days.
After retiring from plumbing and on a stressed out, no income, sick as all heck future, I needed to do something. When I had the energy which at this point wasn’t very often, I would go down to The Esplanade in Mooloolaba or Hastings St in Noosa, set up a table and busk the night away. I looked horrible, I felt terrible, my skin was everywhere, and I would perform card tricks to anyone willing to watch. I would do this predominantly on the weekends or school holidays. This was one of the toughest seasons in my life, I wasn’t making enough money on the street for us to live, our rent was huge, our bills were huge, and all our savings had vanished. Then, one day when I was out busking a guy came to me and asked a few questions about our living situation. Also, at this point the rental we were living in had a massive breakout of mould just to add to the drama. He proceeded to tell me he had a “west wing” granny flat type of set up that we could live in. You can imagine my wife’s reaction when I told her a guy on the street invited us to live in his west wing. We checked out the west wing, it was perfect, and the rent price was such a blessing that I have no doubt in my mind that if he did not stop to ask the questions that I would not be doing what I am doing today.
I continued with the busking when I had the energy and handed out business cards. I started getting a few gigs here and there. My health was still as bad as ever and in 2017 I performed some table magic at Oaks in Caloundra where I meet Vicki. When I arrived at Vicki’s table, she saw that my skin was in agony and proceeded to tell me that she is going to change my life forever. I thought here we go, just another person telling me all the things I have already tried to fix my health. She told me about Dr Aron a Dermatologist in South Africa. Vicki’s daughter went through a similar experience to me and once she used the prescribed treatment her daughter was a new person. I took the details, got in contact with his clinic sent some pictures and gave my history, they then sent me a script. I got the cream compounded and started lathering my body from head-to-toe multiple times a day.
Three days later I stopped itching! For almost 3 years I was in torment, pain and frustration, then it stopped. It was working. My body was responding, I was healing. It was the first time I felt like me again. I continued to use the cream every day and still use it to this day. Vicki saved my life; she was one of my magic moments. She didn’t have to say anything, she could have just enjoyed some magic and went on with her life. I often think about this interaction with Vicki and then I think can I give a magic moment to someone else?
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The next magical moment I want to share is a bit different. It was 2021, a year when everyone around the world had to adapt to new ways of working due to government restrictions and regulations. For us, this meant I couldn’t work for months at a time. Early in the year, my wife of 20 years took me to the beach to have a talk. Up until that point, neither of us had ever planned on having children. This was mainly due to our health challenges; we worried about whether we could manage, and if our child might inherit some of those struggles. I often joked about how easy life was without kids. Don’t get me wrong—I love kids, but at the time, I also loved the freedom we had. When she sat me down, she began to explain that a few months prior, while reading her Bible, she felt God telling her she was going to have a child. She believed our child would be born before the end of the year and had even been given a name. As I was processing this, I asked, “Is the name Ruth?” She looked at me, surprised, and asked, “How did you know?” In that moment, I knew our lives were about to change. I had only guessed one name, and it was the right one. A few weeks later, we found out we were expecting, and on Boxing Day, Ruthie was born.
Magic isn’t just tricks, it’s everywhere, it’s the people we meet, the friends we have, the partners we choose, the opportunities we get, the doors that we open and the doors that are opened for us. It is up to us to allow ourselves to see the magic that is all around us and it is up to us to be the magic to the world we live in!
One of my favourite tricks
