I rarely take vacations. When I do, they’re usually short five-day excursions, spanning Sunday through Thursday. Why? Because like Cinderella, I need to rush back to New York in time for my weekend performances. Chamber Magic shows run every Friday and Saturday, and I hardly ever miss a weekend. That goes for summer and winter holidays too.

For a change of pace, however, I’ve been on a two-week summer vacation in Japan with my family. As I write this, I’m aboard a Boeing 777 aircraft on the flight home to New York. We visited my wife’s parents in Osaka, and spent a good deal of time in Tokyo (one of my favorite cities in the world).

As much fun as I had during the past two weeks with my wife, children and local friends, I’m eager to return home to get back to my shows. Call it the “show-biz itch” if you will. The time I feel most alive is when I’m on stage performing. It’s what I’ve trained my entire life to do. On stage, I’m in the world of my own creation, and as someone who is prone to control many aspects of his life, it’s one of the safest places to be.

For the past ten years, the rhythm of my life has been defined by being at the Waldorf-Astoria every weekend, in front of an audience. This routine brings me calmness. Most people look forward to the weekend for time away from work. Remember TGIF? I look forward to the weekend for the opposite reason – it’s the time I can roll up my sleeves and get down to business.

While in Japan, I performed magic informally for friends, and it was very well-received. (Japanese people, in my experience, love magic and their reactions are often over-the-top. Think high-pitched squeals of delight.) However, these short performances were usually over dinner, or in people’s living rooms – not formal shows.

The excitement leading up to a performance still continues for me, even though my formal shows have been running for ten years. When it stops feeling exciting, it’ll mean one of two things – either time for another vacation, or time to shut down the show.

For now, I’m glad I took two weeks off. It helped reaffirm my passion toward my work. I’ll be home Wednesday and have one day to recuperate before appearing in five shows this weekend.

Must…stay…awake…