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Welcome back, my fellow mind benders. Pull up a chair to the table and get ready for a nice hearty helping of some delicious food for thought. First, though, it’s story time.

While reading through some articles I had collected on my computer, I came across the following story about well known and respected mentalist Banachek. It makes a valuable point that each and every one of us should take to heart, and so this month I wanted to take the time to share it with you.* Banachek’s example makes the point better than I ever could.

“Banachek, the very successful corporate and college mentalist, was performing and lecturing at [a magic] convention, and had a few items for sale in the dealer's room. Assisting him in the sales portion of the weekend was his wife/business partner, Heidi, who in addition to being intelligent, witty, and fun also possesses a stunning physical beauty.

”Heidi was walking through a lobby area towards the dealer's room, followed at a short distance by Banachek. She passes by an older (sixtyish) maintenence man, a hotel employee, who is noticeably attentive to her visible charms. He notes the inscription on her shirt (“My Husband Knows What You're Thinking”) and comments aloud on this. At this point Banachek has caught up and the maintenence man discovers (my memory is fuzzy at this point) that Heidi and Banachek are married. Without pausing in his visual inspection of Heidi, the workman proceeds to engage Banachek in a conversation about how lucky he was and the meaning of the embroidered inscription on Heidi's shirt.

”This is when it gets amazing. Banachek explains that he is a mentalist, and asks the man to step over to a counter nearby. Then, with no audience, for no reason other than kindness (for surely this humble workman was not going to further Banachek's career, or provide him benefit in any way) Banachek proceeds to perform his wonderful PsychoKinetic Time.

“Just for this man. No one else watching (except for me at a distance), no one to applaud, nothing to gain. In those moments, Banachek took a stranger, a nobody really, and one who moments before was openly ogling Banachek's own wife, and turned him into a friend. Not to mention a lifelong Banachek fan, even though the man will probably not remember his name. The stunned look on the man’s face would be the only reward.

”It was the most amazing thing I saw all weekend.”

The next time you’re out and about, and an oppurtunity to bring a smile to somebody else’s day presents itself, remember Banachek and that maintenance man. Maybe you’re on your way somewhere else, and you know that on the surface there’s nothing to be gained from taking time out of your busy day to indulge a stranger. Look deeper, and see if you can learn from Banachek’s example and realize the true value of a little bit of kindness.

Until next time,

Andy

*-This was originally posted to the Usenet group alt.magic by David Nolan on September 7, 2000.