Second Cup: Magic is just labor, hidden well

We have the power to create the delight we want to see in the world

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that there is no such thing as magic.

(00:21):
What looks like magic is generally skilled labor that is
kept invisible. So if you want magic, it's up to
you to make it happen. But the good news is
that you probably can make it happen. And on those
occasions when we see magic, sometimes it is even more

(00:43):
magical when we acknowledge this. Today's tip comes from an
unexpected source. Longtime listeners may recall that in twenty twenty
three I wrote a sonnet every week, that is a
fourteen line poem in iambic Pa with a certain rhyming scheme.
Late in the year, I wrote one of those sonnets

(01:05):
about the seeming magic of Christmas with beautifully decorated trees
and wrapped packages amid the bleakness of winter. Here are
a few lines from that poem. I sit in silence,
gazing at my tree, all trimmed with baubles, softly glowing lights,

(01:25):
a beacon in the window greeting me, acknowledging the lateness
of these nights. When I was wrapping presents, tying bows.
All magic is just labor hidden well. The poem goes
on from there, but I heard from a lot of
readers about that last line, all magic is just labor

(01:50):
hidden well. My Christmas tree was beautiful, magical seeming, with
the ornaments and lights and presents underneath, but it wasn't
actually magic. I made it happen. I decided I wanted
a particularly showy tree, and I made sure we got one.

(02:10):
I spent hours figuring out what my kids wanted and
ordering and shopping for gifts, and I spent lots of
time wrapping the gifts in bright, shiny paper with extra
bows and ribbons. All of this was not magic. At times,
it felt like a slog, but with the effort in
late nights behind me, as I sat looking at my

(02:31):
tree on December morning, it felt like magic. I think
it's empowering to realize that apparent magic results from labor,
because that means we aren't dependent on something outside of
ourselves to make magic happen. We can do it ourselves.
We may need to invest a lot of effort, but

(02:52):
when we do, delight can ensue. It feels great to
make magic for other people, whether that's with Christmas decorations
and gifts, a transporting dinner party or Halloween costume that
makes a child's dream a reality. Now this is not
to say that we need to do more invisible labor.

(03:14):
I bet a lot of people listening to this podcast
are already doing a lot of thankless invisible labor. But
we do have the power to use our creativity, time
and effort to delight those we love by making magic
for them. And we can make magic for ourselves too.

(03:35):
If you want a show stopping vacation, you can dream
up how to make it happen and execute on it.
If you want a gorgeous Thanksgiving spread like you see
in magazines, you can figure out how to gussy up
your dining room, create an autumnal tablescape, and make all
those elaborate dishes that look so scrumptious. If you are

(03:59):
wishing to be celebrated for a particular accomplishment, well book
the venue, invite the people, and create the party of
your dreams. As a corollary, when you experience something magical,
you can repeat that same phrase, all magic is just

(04:20):
labor hidden Well that magician has practiced to make his
tricks look effortless. That sequence of pyrotechnics at a concert
was rehearsed until they simply couldn't fail. That teacher who
can get a rambunctious little kid interested in a book

(04:41):
is not actually possessed of magical powers. She is just really,
really good at her job. So let's acknowledge that humans
can do utterly amazing things when they think it through
and work really hard. I find hard labor more impressive

(05:03):
than magic. Actually keeping this phrase in mind empowers us
to keep attempting ambitious wonders. Have you made any magic lately?
I'd love to hear about it. You can reach me
at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime,

(05:25):
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(05:53):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.