Flying down to a cruise ship gig

A funny thing happened on the way to the airport…

This morning marks the start of a 6 week cruise ship gig on the beautiful Emerald Princess. We’ll be sailing around the Caribbean where winter still means warm water and fun in the sun!

Anyway, I woke up at 5am this morning and checked out of my hotel while it was still dark to make my way to the airport. Ahhh, the glamorous show-biz life, right?

I’ve been on a fall college tour for the past couple of months and Suzy is already down in Miami waiting for me to join her on the ship. As I prepared to return my rental car I noticed a 10 CD success series I’d been listening to sitting in the back seat. As I’d already listened to the whole thing, I resolved to give it to the first person I met who seemed like someone that would benefit from it. I didn’t have to wait long.

“Good morning. Great day isn’t it?”

I looked around. It was still dark out. And cold. And drizzling rain.

“Um, sure. Why are you so happy?” I replied to the strangely cheerful airport parking lot attendant.

“Got nothing to complain about.” he shrugged as he handed me my rental car receipt.

Again: cold, dark, raining. He’s standing outside. He’s returning rental cars. And he’s happy.

OK, I thought, this is a good a guy as any.

“Here. I’d like you to have this success series. It’ll give you something inspirational to listen to while you stand out here waiting for people.”

He burst into a big grin and proceeded to tell me how he’d just invented something and was starting to research how to get investors or sell the idea and how this would really help him on that quest.

You just never know, huh.

I wished him the best on that project and headed into the airport to check in for my flight to the cruise ship. And here’s where the funny thing happened…

I noticed my boarding pass had me sitting in the very back row of the plane, in one of those seats that don’t even lean back. I was dead tired having performed a show the night before and asked the person behind the counter if I could have a better seat.

Actually what I said was “as long s I’m asking for things, how about a free first class upgrade to one of those seats that folds flat like a bed?”

And guess what, that’s exactly what I got!

Now although I do believe you get back what you put out in life, I don’t really believe it’s that localized and immediate. But then again, I also don’t believe in coincidences. So what do you think just happened?

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