![\"Magicio](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/larakrupicka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/IMG_4210-182x300.jpg?resize=182%2C300\")
\u201cLook at it. Don\u2019t forget which one it is,\u201d she instructs. \u201cNow put it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cPick a card,\u201d my daughter says. She holds the deck out, fanned between her hands. Gamely I pull one.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at it. Don\u2019t forget which one it is,\u201d she instructs. \u201cNow put it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I place the card on top of a pile she holds out and watch as she shuffles them. A handful cards dealt onto the table in neat rows and then she flips one up. The card I had selected.<\/p>\n
She asks with a straight face, \u201cIs this your card?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Yes! How did you do that?\u201d I answer, perplexed.<\/p>\n
Magic tricks by my middle child aren\u2019t new. She\u2019s been fascinated by the art for years. In fact, she played magician at her younger sister\u2019s birthday party last year, to the delight of the group of fourth-graders.<\/p>\n
But this is the first time I\u2019ve seen a trick so artfully done. So skillfully magical. And she owes it to two young friends.<\/p>\n
Early last week we attended the same event as friends of ours. While we waited for it to start their twin boys, sixth-graders, demonstrated some card tricks for our girls. I\u2019d been treated to their tricks earlier in the day, so I was pleased they had the chance to show my daughters. Because these boys are good. Very good. They could hire themselves out for parties.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s all it took to get my seventh-grader hooked again. She went home and looked up card tricks. Selected a few. Began practicing them in her room. By the end of the week, she was ready for an audience.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what I love about hanging out with other people, particularly other people who share our interests. That one-on-one, iron-sharpening-iron interaction can be a powerful motivator. The sparks generated by talking about a topic we enjoy or sharing tips on how to improve can ignite a fire in us that fuels our interest and propels us forward.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I invest every year in participating in an online team of fellow parenting journalists who \u201cmeet\u201d virtually to share goals and frustrations, who pass along insights and tips, and who cheer each other\u2019s successes and brainstorm paths around road blocks.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I meet up for face-to-face chats with other mom writers – informally and in organized writer\u2019s groups.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s also why I spend time at a weekly mom\u2019s coffee group in my neighborhood. It\u2019s our version of the workplace water cooler. We talk shop on parenting and school issues. We swap recipes and names of electricians, babysitters, and yoga teachers. We spur each other on.<\/p>\n
My daughter made more progress in developing her skills as a magician in the past week than she has at any other time. All because of fifteen minutes hanging out with two particular sixth-grade boys (who truly are amazing kids) who love magic even more than she does.<\/p>\n
If you want to go farther faster in meeting a bucket list goal, spend time hanging out with people who have that same goal. Find an online group. Attend a class where you\u2019ll meet people. Book time for coffee with a like-minded friend. You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPick a card,\u201d my daughter says. She holds the deck out, fanned between her hands. Gamely I pull one. \u201cLook at it. Don\u2019t forget which one it is,\u201d she instructs. \u201cNow put it back.\u201d I place the card on top of a pile she holds out and watch as she shuffles them. A handful cards…<\/p>\n