By KO Kelly
This past weekend my girlfriend and I went to see former Eagles long-snapper Jon Dorenbos perform at the Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia in his aptly named new show “Life is Magic”.
For those of you who know do not know Jon’s story, when he was a teenager his father murdered his mother. He then spent the next year or so in a foster home before he and his sister moved in with his aunt. Magic became a key component of his therapy and he kept at it all through his professional football career and was even a finalist on America’s Got Talent a few years ago.
Jon’s stage presence is a little rough compared to a more traditional, polished stage magician but his humor, personality, and genuineness make up for any of shortcomings. The show also includes a lot of personal history and Eagles-related material, which makes it especially entertaining for the Philly faithful.
The true magic of the show, though, is found not in his tricks but in his story and message. If anyone had an excuse to throw in the towel on life, he surely did. And it sounds like for a while that’s exactly what he was doing. But he didn’t give up. He kept moving forward. He took his hits and he turned his hard work into opportunities. Success and happiness are not guaranteed in life but with a mindset of persistence and gratitude - they are much easier to obtain.
He has a few more shows in September in the greater Philadelphia area that I highly recommend. You are sure to walk away inspired.
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