My Own Magic

My Own MagicCopyright © 2023 by Anna KlootsAll rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.Published by Harper Horizon, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus LLC.Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®Any internet addresses, phone numbers, or company or product information printed in this book are offered as a resource and are not intended in any way to be or to imply an endorsement by Harper Horizon, nor does Harper Horizon vouch for the existence, content, or services of these sites, phone numbers, companies, or products beyond the life of this book.ISBN 978-0-7852-5567-3 (Ebook)ISBN 978-0-7852-5565-9 (HC)Epub Edition MAY 2023 9780785255673Library of Congress Control Number: 2022948239 Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebookPlease note that the endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication For anyone who has ever felt invisible and needs to find their own magic Contents CoverTitle PageCopyrightBackstage Author’s Note“Do You Know How He Does It?”Act I Cause for CelebrationParis Forever!Smoke and MirrorsThe Blonde ParisienneBucket ListsThe Fox DenI Love Everybody in This Car!La Vie en RoseI’ll Never Do It AgainTravel Outside the BoxInhale, ExhaleReflections at SeaDreaming Wide-AwakeHave a Good Séance2017 HighlightsUnhappy at the Happiest Place on EarthStargazingSurprisesHoodwinkedEntre’acte MetamorphosisAct II FaithMaster of CeremoniesAftershockThat’s AmoreDiving InForward StepsMy Own MagicOut of TimeA New Bucket ListThe Age of DiscoveryCaresseCan’t Dull My SparkleEncore Live Your LifeAshesAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author BACKSTAGE Author’s NoteMemories are a lot like magic tricks: little moments, full of wonder, that stir our emotions as they unfold. Both memories and magic tricks can be astonishing and insightful, but perhaps also misleading, for when we think back we may see or remember only what we want to believe. Our own minds can, after all, play tricks on us.Both memories and magic can be shared, while also solitary. We can experience the same moment with another person and agree on how it ended, but we each walk away with very different interpretations of exactly what happened.We can’t perfectly remember each moment in a magic trick, just like we can’t perfectly remember each moment that makes up a memory. But we do our best to honestly recall what we saw and how we felt, to form an explanation for what happened that is our truth.Over ten years, I lived many moments and saw many magic tricks.This is how I remember them. “Do You Know How He Does It?”There’s an age-old fascination with how magic is done. The question “How did he do it?” is whispered among the audience at every show. Many of us are actually unable to enjoy the performance without trying to uncover the method as we watch. Even after the show is over, the mystery plagues us for days as we attempt to understand how we were fooled. We reason:He couldn’t have known.I would have seen.I had a free choice.This very reasoning is the direct result of the magician’s choice of words while performing. You didn’t realize it, but he reaffirmed the credibility of his actions as they happened with phrases like, “That’s fair, isn’t it?” “You could have chosen any card, right?” “No one asked you to say that, did they?”At ACT I Cause for CelebrationWhile most people reserve celebrations for life’s biggest events, I believe in making a big deal out of the little moments too. So I bake cakes and pop corks on the obscure holidays, or the first day of a new season, or sometimes simply because it’s Tuesday. I’ve always tried to add a little sparkle to the ordinary.But once I came across a type of celebration I’d never imagined. I was in Palm Springs when I spotted four middle-aged women by the pool, popping bottles of champagne in matching black satin pajamas.“You girls are fabulous!” I shouted. “What are you celebrating?”One grinned and yelled back, “My divorce!”“Oh,” I stammered, “well, uh . . . good for you!”I hadn’t known what to say. I had never heard of, let alone witnessed,