In 1976 I picked up a lifelong habit. It goes by many names -- conjuring, magic, or prestidigitation to name a few. My first real job was in magic, I worked on weekends at a magic and novelty shop. Demonstrating tricks for customers, helping sell gags and jokes, and polishing the glass counters when nobody was around. I'd get up early every Saturday morning and take the bus downtown so I could be there just before the store opened at 10AM. I'd work all day, until 6PM, then ride the bus home. I was 12 years old, and loved every minute of it.
I worked at The Fun Shop for over 7 years, eventually getting the title of "Assistant Manager" and working at both the downtown and mall store as the business grew and changed. As you might expect of an impressionable youth, I learned a lot. The values and opinions that I hold today -- customer service, the thrill of running your own business, how poor city planning can ruin small businesses, and so on, were all gelled behind those dusty and thrill-packed display cases.
Those years also installed a deep love of magic. Eventually, as young boys usually do with their first love, I moved on to other things. But I never forgot it, and in my most private moments, daydreams of those halcyon days fill my thoughts.