Don't Be Dumb (aka Think Before You Speak)

Many moons ago, in my first year of performing magic, I was booked to perform at a garden party for a young lady's 21st birthday.

It was a lovely warm evening and there were maybe twenty-five people in the large garden. I performed a little bit of walkabout magic but pretty soon, this evolved into a stand-up show. Everyone sat and watched the show, had fun and the whole thing was light-hearted fun (with astonishment all round, of course).

I had built up a good rapport with everyone present and repeat/further bookings were mentioned by the birthday girl’s parents.

Just as I was about to leave, people were coming up to say goodbye. The last person to do this was the birthday girl herself. She said ‘Thanks so much! That was great fun!’

Instead of just thanking her and wishing everyone well, I misjudged the situation… or maybe assumed everyone was as big a movie geek as me. I stretched my arms out and said loudly ‘How about a hug?’

Now, I cannot stand it when I see guys in the pub saying to young women ‘Where's my hug?’ etc, but at that moment I was thinking of one of Jim Carrey's lines in Dumb & Dumber. I've never ‘hit on’ anyone while working, ever.

No one got it. Not one person. I sheepishly walked away while everyone stared daggers at me. This was almost a decade ago and I still think about it regularly 🙄😂