The Shovel Newsletter Archives

My friend, Todd sometimes will perform a magic trick with nothing more than an ordinary deck of playing cards. We're all familiar with the scenario. Everyone knows a card trick or two. The thing I particularly enjoy about this trick, however is that throughout the trick Todd will ask the participant which cards should be removed, giving them the control until at last the final card is chosen and revealed.
"Wow!" They exclaim. "How was that possible since I chose all the cards?"

It is possible, of course because they where never really in control. They had the illusion of control. Todd made all the decisions. That's how magic works.

It's a lot like catching lizards...

One of my favorite places on this great earth is Lake Powell. I love everything about that place. If you've never been there, you should go.

About two days into your trip you'll be relaxing on the beach and you will notice all the lizards (if you're under 8 you noticed them immediately and just as quickly you tried to catch one).

If you try to catch one you'll quickly realize those little buggers are fast. Really fast. You can spend the rest of your trip running up and down sandy hills and red rock and you aint gonna get one. Unless you know the Secret.

You see the problem is, aside from their Speedy Gonzalezness- they know the terrain too well. You're on their turf. And home-court advantage is a huge comfort zone.

The Secret is a shirt. Or a towel. Or a hawaiian lava-lava. So how do you do it?

Walk (don't run) up to a lizard and toss the shirt/towel/lava-lava onto the ground a couple feet in front of them. Now try to grab the critter and you know where it will go? To the "safety" of the towel. Now simply pick up the towel (lizard and all) and he's caught. "But wait a second" thinks the lizard, "I ran to safety! I chose what to do and where to go! How did I get caught?"

It works every time. The lizard has the choice. You have the control.

In your haunted house who has the control?

Until Next Time
Sean and Adam Murray

P.S. One of these days I'll tell you what happens to the lizard when you finally catch it...

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