Backstory: I have always wanted to learn how to do that fabulous trick where it appears you are tossing a desk of cards from one hand to the other in a long stream.

My first stop will be Google, where I hope to determine what it is actually called. (Pretty sure it is not called “card-shuffle-fan thing”. Sheesh.)

Then I am going to peruse tutorial videos on YouTube.

My ultimate goal is to be able to intimidate…eh…impress my friends with whom my husband and I play the card game Hearts every few months. I lost, by quite the margin, at our last session, so I am looking for every advantage.

Our next tournament…eh…friendly game is scheduled for late summer, so I have plenty of time to practice. This week is about doing the research, taking the first steps, and having fun pursuing something that has been on my personal to do list for ages.

What are you going to nudge yourself to try this week?

What Happened: Get ready to be impressed! 😉

First up, I googled for information and learned the trick I wanted to learn is called a “waterfall.” Cool!

Next, I searched for training videos and found this one.

Deck of cards, training video, ounce of courage…I was good to go.

Here is a typical representation of my Day 1 attempts:

Hmmm…I think there’s another name for that “trick”. 52 Pickup, anyone?

On Day 2, I determined my hands were too small to be successful, so I was pleased to discover we had a smaller-sized deck in the games cabinet.

Um…it didn’t completely solve the problems. But every day, for five to 10 minutes, I stood at my desk (figured out that was a good way to catch the falling cards) and practiced.

Slow and steady. Deep breath. Patience, determination, and optimism. Repeat.

Here is the video Thor took of me tonight: card waterfall video

If for some reason you can’t watch it, well, let’s just say The Magic Castle won’t be calling any time soon. But it’s better than where I was just a few days ago!

The Ah-Hahs: Earlier in the week I caught up with a friend who is also revisiting her childhood passions. What did she love doing? What would keep her occupied for hours? And how might she incorporate some of that former joy into her life today?

This Nudge was that for me. I didn’t have any grand revelations about life, I just had some fun. I took a few minutes out of my insanely busy workdays and fed my inner child.

Oh, and I’m not giving up. I still have time to perfect this trick before our next game of Hearts.

P.S. This is interesting. I just inserted the tags for this post and was reminded of my earlier post about wanting to find my Mojo, to find or reclaim my magic. This was not at all what I had in mind for myself at the time, but cool!