WEBVTT - Second Cup: Magic is just labor, hidden well

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that there is no such thing as magic.

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<v Speaker 1>What looks like magic is generally skilled labor that is

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<v Speaker 1>kept invisible. So if you want magic, it's up to

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<v Speaker 1>you to make it happen. But the good news is

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<v Speaker 1>that you probably can make it happen. And on those

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<v Speaker 1>occasions when we see magic, sometimes it is even more

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<v Speaker 1>magical when we acknowledge this. Today's tip comes from an

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<v Speaker 1>unexpected source. Longtime listeners may recall that in twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 1>three I wrote a sonnet every week, that is a

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<v Speaker 1>fourteen line poem in iambic Pa with a certain rhyming scheme.

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<v Speaker 1>Late in the year, I wrote one of those sonnets

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<v Speaker 1>about the seeming magic of Christmas with beautifully decorated trees

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<v Speaker 1>and wrapped packages amid the bleakness of winter. Here are

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<v Speaker 1>a few lines from that poem. I sit in silence,

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<v Speaker 1>gazing at my tree, all trimmed with baubles, softly glowing lights,

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<v Speaker 1>a beacon in the window greeting me, acknowledging the lateness

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<v Speaker 1>of these nights. When I was wrapping presents, tying bows.

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<v Speaker 1>All magic is just labor hidden well. The poem goes

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<v Speaker 1>on from there, but I heard from a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>readers about that last line, all magic is just labor

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<v Speaker 1>hidden well. My Christmas tree was beautiful, magical seeming, with

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<v Speaker 1>the ornaments and lights and presents underneath, but it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>actually magic. I made it happen. I decided I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>a particularly showy tree, and I made sure we got one.

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<v Speaker 1>I spent hours figuring out what my kids wanted and

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<v Speaker 1>ordering and shopping for gifts, and I spent lots of

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<v Speaker 1>time wrapping the gifts in bright, shiny paper with extra

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<v Speaker 1>bows and ribbons. All of this was not magic. At times,

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<v Speaker 1>it felt like a slog, but with the effort in

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<v Speaker 1>late nights behind me, as I sat looking at my

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<v Speaker 1>tree on December morning, it felt like magic. I think

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<v Speaker 1>it's empowering to realize that apparent magic results from labor,

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<v Speaker 1>because that means we aren't dependent on something outside of

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<v Speaker 1>ourselves to make magic happen. We can do it ourselves.

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<v Speaker 1>We may need to invest a lot of effort, but

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<v Speaker 1>when we do, delight can ensue. It feels great to

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<v Speaker 1>make magic for other people, whether that's with Christmas decorations

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<v Speaker 1>and gifts, a transporting dinner party or Halloween costume that

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<v Speaker 1>makes a child's dream a reality. Now this is not

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<v Speaker 1>to say that we need to do more invisible labor.

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<v Speaker 1>I bet a lot of people listening to this podcast

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<v Speaker 1>are already doing a lot of thankless invisible labor. But

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<v Speaker 1>we do have the power to use our creativity, time

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<v Speaker 1>and effort to delight those we love by making magic

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<v Speaker 1>for them. And we can make magic for ourselves too.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want a show stopping vacation, you can dream

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<v Speaker 1>up how to make it happen and execute on it.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want a gorgeous Thanksgiving spread like you see

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<v Speaker 1>in magazines, you can figure out how to gussy up

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<v Speaker 1>your dining room, create an autumnal tablescape, and make all

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<v Speaker 1>those elaborate dishes that look so scrumptious. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>wishing to be celebrated for a particular accomplishment, well book

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<v Speaker 1>the venue, invite the people, and create the party of

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<v Speaker 1>your dreams. As a corollary, when you experience something magical,

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<v Speaker 1>you can repeat that same phrase, all magic is just

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<v Speaker 1>labor hidden Well that magician has practiced to make his

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<v Speaker 1>tricks look effortless. That sequence of pyrotechnics at a concert

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<v Speaker 1>was rehearsed until they simply couldn't fail. That teacher who

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<v Speaker 1>can get a rambunctious little kid interested in a book

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<v Speaker 1>is not actually possessed of magical powers. She is just really,

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<v Speaker 1>really good at her job. So let's acknowledge that humans

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<v Speaker 1>can do utterly amazing things when they think it through

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<v Speaker 1>and work really hard. I find hard labor more impressive

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<v Speaker 1>than magic. Actually keeping this phrase in mind empowers us

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<v Speaker 1>to keep attempting ambitious wonders. Have you made any magic lately?

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear about it. You can reach me

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.