The universe is filled with magic. Amazing and incredible things happen all the time when the universe aligns with whatever and an unbelievable thing happens. You never know when it will occur or where you might encounter this fantastic event. Stars aligning or whatever causes this magical thing is always a surprise and causes you to say “Wow!”
This year I had a fantastic meeting that was twenty years in the making and completely unexpected. Let’s back the story up about one year. I found a book called Phantoms of the Card Table. The book was by David Britland and Gazzo. My son is a librarian. I asked him to find the book for me. He found the book and ordered it. It was delivered to my house. I looked at the book and put it in a pile of unread books.
Jump back to about twenty years ago. I met Gazzo at the South Carolina Associations of Magicians. He gave a great lecture on cups and balls and even performed in the final show. He was an interesting character and super magician. When I saw the book, I got it ordered, put on the shelf and a year passed with the book sitting on the shelf.
Present day: It is my anniversary. To celebrate fifty years of marriage my wife and I went with another couple to Key West Florida. We planned to airline down. Phantoms of the Card Table had been sitting on the shelf for a year. For some reason, I picked up the book and decided to take it with me to Key West and at least read the book on the airline flight. Don’t know why but that was the book I was carrying with me.
Key West is a unique town. Lots of things to do. Every afternoon at sundown, performers entertain as the sunsets. It is always fun. We walk down to the waterfront to watch the sunset and the performers on our first night in town. We walk up on a man doing a magic act. I tell my wife “I know that guy.” The other couple looks at me and I tell them this will even get wilder. I ask my wife to go back to our hotel room and get the book on my bag. This guy wrote that book.
My wife heads back to get the book and I watch the magic act. When the act is over, I walk up and say, “Are You Gazzo?’ he replies that he is Gazzo and then I ask, “Are you the real Gazzo?’ Again he says yes with a puzzled look. “Did you write the book Phantoms of the Card Table?” He answers yes with an even more puzzled look.
I tell him that I have the book and my wife has gone to get the book and I would like him to autograph it. I tell him about meeting him at a magic convention and we discuss the book and magic. Another guy standing by is amazed that I brought up a book to be autographed. The rarity of the book is one thing but just the sheer coincidence of picking that book to bring along proves that the universe throws magical things our way once in a while.
Gazzo skims through the book and then Autographs it. What a treasure. The magic of the universe strikes again. The most unlikely occurrences pop up at the most unlikely times. That is the best part of the magic of the universe. Anything can happen.
