As a parent we are supposed to teach our kids, earlier this year our daughter taught me a few lessons that can be applied personally or professionally. To set the stage we have a 14-year-old daughter, Rachel who has been obsessed with the musical Hamilton. What I mean by obsessed is she knows all the songs by heart, plays them constantly and has wanted to see the show since it opened in 2015.
We were hoping the ticket prices would be more reasonable in Detroit. We were wrong. Our resourceful daughter unbeknownst to us found and registered with an app that notifies you about unsold tickets for Hamilton in New York and Chicago. You’re entered a lottery for unsold tickets and can purchase two tickets for $20. The catch is you’re emailed the day before your show and you have about two hours to purchase the two tickets.
Lesson #1 – the law of attraction works, I totally believe Rachel used the Law of Attraction to bring the Hamilton tickets to her.
So, on a Tuesday Rachel calls me to say she won the lottery and can buy two Hamilton tickets in Chicago for the following night for $20. My first thought is to wonder if this is a scam. She is convinced that this is a legitimate offer. Another lesson I learned
is that it takes support from lots of people to live your life and run a business. My husband called the theater to verify the offer was legit. Lesson # 2 from Rachel, have faith and believe.
The offer was legit, Rachel purchased the tickets and we made plans to drive to Chicago first thing Wednesday morning. Tuesday night after a 5:00 p.m. meeting, I heard there was a weather advisory from Chicago to Detroit for Wednesday morning. We made the decision to hop in the car Tuesday night and drive to Chicago, hoping to avoid the bad weather. Here’s another lesson – listen to your gut or that little voice in your head.
Next lesson we both were reminded of is to really focus on being grateful for everything that you have, rather focusing on what you don’t have. I have two good friends that I called after Rachel had called me about the tickets. I have known both women for over 40 years. Sara also verified that our ticket offer was legit and offered to let us stay in her home in the city and recommended a restaurant and met us for dinner before the show. Susan, the second friend lives in a suburb but has a condo in the city of Chicago. She also offered to let us stay in her condo, if she could figure out how we could get keys and if she could get a parking pass for us. So, we stayed in the condo, which overlooks Lake Michigan out one side and Navy Pier out the other. She made several calls to the condo management company, arranged for keys to be left for us and gave us a 24-hour parking voucher.
We are both beyond grateful for our friendships, the tickets, the opportunity to have an unbelievable mom/daughter adventure. The adventure reminded me to be resourceful, be grateful, don’t be afraid to make changes to your plans, don’t give up, focus on what I want, and spontaneity can be a great thing.