This'll be a short blog tonight.  We're going through pink eye and some kind of flu around here.  But the week was incredible nonetheless, and I've just got to tell you:

All my hard work is turning me into a magician.  All day Friday, I made objects appear with my mind. 

Here's what happened.   First off, this was the week of Girl's Rock Camp up in Madison.  I've taught the program for 6 years, and every year, it gets better.  The girls learn to play an instrument, write a song, record it in a studio, and perform it live, all in the course of 7 days.  It's hard work for everybody, but it's also so fulfilling.  Anyway, last year, I remember telling a student that I wished we had some more bizarre instruments for them to learn besides just the standard guitar, drums, bass, and keyboard.  Something like a theremin.  Then this week on Friday morning--without prompting--one of the instructors just happened to bring her theremin to camp.  I've wanted to learn how to play that instrument for years, and suddenly, one appeared.  Magic.

Next example. For about a decade, I've wanted to learn how to make my own kombucha (fermented tea).  Even though most people think it tastes terrible, I find it refreshing, and I'd love to have it on tap at the restaurant that I'm building.  For the past few years, I've done a lot of work trying to design a menu that includes several house made items, and I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be able to have house made kombucha because it just seemed too hard to get started.  But on Friday afternoon, one of the staff members at camp decided to give me a kombucha starter kit, along with tips for how to make the tastiest fermented tea.  She picked up on my enthusiasm for food and just knew I'd enjoy her gift.  Now I have the supplies and the knowledge to make it at the restaurant. Magic.

Finally.  On Friday night, my first renter at the upstairs offices of my building hosted an open house.  He's an artist, and he's been spending the last month turning his space into a gallery.  Now, all last year while I was scraping tar off the floors up there, I remember dreaming that a bunch of artists would move into the space and sell their wares.  I dreamed the space would be a vibrant gathering place for the community.  I remember telling a few members of the community about the dream.  Then when I walked into his open house of Friday night, I saw my dream in the flesh.  My renter turned the space into the most beautiful, most genuine, most funky gallery that I've ever seen.  The whole place was packed.  Just like my dream.  Magic.

Moral?  Magic and hard work go hand in hand.  Because I never stopped teaching, I got to play a theremin.  Because I never stopped researching food, I got a kombucha starter kit.  Because I never stopped scraping tar and renovating my building, the whole upstairs is teeming with artists.   Reader, I think the whole trick to life is to work hard and let your mind dream while you're at it.  Eventually, the work of your hands helps bring to life the visions in your head.  

And now I'm off to bed.  Have a magical week, and I'll see you next Sunday. -Em