GregKoren
Day 155 of Living Gratefully
In my senior year of high school, I told my parents I was going to attend a magic convention with my magic mentor, Eldon Wigton. I told them I would be gone all weekend, and I asked to borrow one of their cars to drive to Eldon's house, who lived about half an hour away. They said okay.
That weekend, I climbed into my mom's car and drove to the next state over, Pennsylvania, where I spent the weekend with my girlfriend Amy, who was a freshman at college. When I got home, my parents asked if I'd had a good time at the convention, and I said I had. A really, really good time.
A few days later, my mom came back from her hair appointment at the local vo tech school and asked me to guess who she'd run into there: Eldon! I wasn't surprised. He taught auto mechanics at the school. (When he wasn't teaching, he performed magic under the stage name Dr. Eldoonie.)
What surprised me was my mom asked Eldon if he'd also had a good time at the convention, to which Eldon replied, "What convention?"
A month later, after my parents finally un-grounded me, I told Eldon about how I lied to my parents so I could get together with my girlfriend. Then I braced myself for his response. I'd put him in an awkward position that threatened our mentorship. He had every right to be mad at me, or disappointed, or both.
What he said to me I've never forgotten. He said, "The next time you want to do something like that, tell me ahead of time, and I'll cover for you."
At that moment, I realized something about Eldon. He was my friend. He was an adult with an adult job and adult responsibilities, and he was my friend.
I hadn't known that was possible.
Three years later, Amy and I married and moved from Ohio to Maryland. Dr. Eldoonie stayed in Ohio and turned pro. He went on to perform for Presidents, and in 1992 became the "World's Fastest Magician" by performing 225 magic tricks in two minutes. (You can look that up in the Guinness Book of World Records!)
Eldon died last year at the age of 63.
Today, a magician from Ohio walked into the magic shop where I work, and during the course of our conversation we discovered we had a certain someone in common: the magic mentor Dr. Eldoonie.
Our friend.
I'm grateful for you, Eldon. :)
Day 155 of Living Gratefully
In my senior year of high school, I told my parents I was going to attend a magic convention with my magic mentor, Eldon Wigton. I told them I would be gone all weekend, and I asked to borrow one of their cars to drive to Eldon's house, who lived about half an hour away. They said okay.
That weekend, I climbed into my mom's car and drove to the next state over, Pennsylvania, where I spent the weekend with my girlfriend Amy, who was a freshman at college. When I got home, my parents asked if I'd had a good time at the convention, and I said I had. A really, really good time.
A few days later, my mom came back from her hair appointment at the local vo tech school and asked me to guess who she'd run into there: Eldon! I wasn't surprised. He taught auto mechanics at the school. (When he wasn't teaching, he performed magic under the stage name Dr. Eldoonie.)
What surprised me was my mom asked Eldon if he'd also had a good time at the convention, to which Eldon replied, "What convention?"
A month later, after my parents finally un-grounded me, I told Eldon about how I lied to my parents so I could get together with my girlfriend. Then I braced myself for his response. I'd put him in an awkward position that threatened our mentorship. He had every right to be mad at me, or disappointed, or both.
What he said to me I've never forgotten. He said, "The next time you want to do something like that, tell me ahead of time, and I'll cover for you."
At that moment, I realized something about Eldon. He was my friend. He was an adult with an adult job and adult responsibilities, and he was my friend.
I hadn't known that was possible.
Three years later, Amy and I married and moved from Ohio to Maryland. Dr. Eldoonie stayed in Ohio and turned pro. He went on to perform for Presidents, and in 1992 became the "World's Fastest Magician" by performing 225 magic tricks in two minutes. (You can look that up in the Guinness Book of World Records!)
Eldon died last year at the age of 63.
Today, a magician from Ohio walked into the magic shop where I work, and during the course of our conversation we discovered we had a certain someone in common: the magic mentor Dr. Eldoonie.
Our friend.
I'm grateful for you, Eldon. :)