Heads-up: Be sure you have a few spare minutes for this post – it’s a little, I mean a lot, longer than the rest of ‘em! :)

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I know, I know – it’s been a long time. The last blog post I wrote was six months ago! It was all about our life-changing experience at a Journey concert.

Shortly afterwards, I was excited to share that write-up with Journey’s new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, to show him how he had impacted my life. The very same day he replied with a tweet that said: “Thank you so much for this. Really enjoyed reading your write-up about your experience. Goosebumps!”

So cool. So, if you haven’t read the post yet – please do!

Funny how the post ended with a message to Journey, saying: “See you all again soon…”

And so it is. Here I am, six months later – and Bill and I just returned from a winter road trip to hang with Journey once again!

I’ve gotten so much reader feedback in the past, asking me to keep sharing the fun details about our big adventures…so here ya go!

Winter road trip

The stars aligned for us to do a winter concert road trip. Bill had extra vacation days, we had a bunch of hotel points to use, we received unexpected gift money, and…it was my birthday! We found two pairs of awesome tickets on eBay for two back-to-back Midwest Journey shows.

Concert destinations: Sioux City, Iowa; and Moline, Illinois.

Everything about our 1,000+ mile road trip was awesome. Roads were dry (doing this in the winter was risky), temps were warm (hey, 40 degrees in the winter – I’ll take it!), and we had all kinds of great Journey tunes on deck to keep us fired-up and ready for a good time.

Road trips are funny. Sometimes you get blocked by two semis and simply can’t go anywhere.

Sometimes you drive for miles off the interstate in search of food and still can’t find anything, even though you see this sign below (the bonus is that you at least get a good tour of Random Smalltown, U.S.A.):

Sometimes the drama gets amped up a notch when we hit a stretch of interstate where there are NO gas stations anywhere on the horizon. This time we got pretty close to empty and my mind was already scrambling to figure out the steps necessary to get us to the show in time…while stranded with no gas. We ended up finding a place at the 11th hour, and I asked my driver if we could please not create this kind of drama again.

No matter what, Bill always somehow makes me nervous on our concert road trips. We’re always listening to great songs (loud!) to get us fired-up – which is important, but it also serves as a catalyst for Bill to practice his hottest air guitar (or keyboard or drum) moves. He seems to do okay steering with his knees, but it always puts me on-edge!

Our rituals

When we’re on a concert road trip, we have a few rituals. One of those includes stopping at a Subway for lunch. I mean, have you ever been anywhere in the U.S. where you can’t find a Subway? It’s tradition.

Once we get to our destination city – and before we get to our hotel – we do a “drive-by.” We drive to the arena and see what kind of fun places are in the area to hang before the show. It’s a must to find ‘the’ place to be, ya know. We’re serious about this business.

Then we check into the hotel, and Bill heads straight for the hot tub and then takes a post-drive/pre-concert power nap.

During that time, I’m getting ready and getting excited!

Before we leave the room, one of our routines is to set our intention for the night together. We’re always smiling and feeling our appreciation for the experience we’re in the middle of, and about to have. And we always wonder what type of fun stories we’ll come back to the room with! We end our huddle by saying we “trust that everything will unfold perfectly and for the greater good of everyone involved.”

Oh, we also make sure my purse has the following necessities (in addition to lipstick): 1) Bottle caps, and 2) Earplugs. You never know when an arena has a hard and fast rule about not giving you a cap with your bottled water or beer. That’s just inviting trouble and makes your bottle a perfect target for some raucous fan to kick over. However, go to a show with us and you’re all set!

When it’s time to head out, we go to whatever nearby bar/restaurant we’ve deemed is “the one” and chat with the locals. It’s always fun to learn their stories – where they’re from, when they first became a fan, what they love most about the band, etc. Everyone’s got a story to tell.

This time, we met a mother with her teenage daughter. We met a father with his teenage son. There were plenty of giggly 40-something women all glammed up (I was wearing sequins, so I guess this includes me, too). And groups of long-haired guys with well-worn faded concert t-shirts, still stuck in the 1980’s.

LOVE the diversity!

That first night we set up shop at the nearest food/drink establishment and enjoyed people-watching before the show.

At Famous Dave’s

BBQ sauce mishap – good thing he was wearing black!

We love checking out various cities with different venues. Sometimes a beer is $3. Sometimes it’s $12 (?). Sometimes they have great crowd flow…and sometimes they don’t. Here’s a shot below I took of Bill across the concourse as we both stood in line for the bathroom. Twelve total minutes for me to go through the line and get my turn…GEEZ! That was probably the longest we were apart during our trip – we don’t like being apart!

Concert #1

We had front-row center seats for the first night and we were beyond excited!!!

Loverboy and Pat Benatar opened. Who knew I was such a big Loverboy fan? They were amazing and completely rocked the house! “Turn that dial, all the way, shoot me like a rocket into space…” AAAHHH!!! I went completely nuts.

A funny thing happened

A funny thing happened during Pat Benatar’s set. Her longtime husband and guitarist, Neil Giraldo, made eye contact with me and prepared to toss out his guitar pick. The lights were so bright and I held out my hands to hopefully catch it…and instead, the pick landed right in my cleavage and stuck there! Everyone around me laughed in amazement, and the security guy came over afterwards with a big smile and said, “Nice catch, Doll.” Haha, now that’s a first!

Sidebar: Pat told us that one of her music videos was actually the second one to be aired on MTV (after “Video Killed the Radio Star”) in 1981…making her husband, Neil, the very first guitarist ever featured on MTV! Pretty cool trivia, huh?

Connecting with Arnel

That morning, I sent Arnel a tweet to say that Bill and I would be at the show the next two nights.

And so my favorite moment came during the first Journey song. Arnel came right over and pointed at me several times with a huge, lingering smile as if to say: “There you are! There you are!” Awesome.

Why am I and so many others captivated by this guy? I can only tell you what’s true for me, and it has so much to do with what’s possible in life.

Without even mentioning that he is one of the most amazing performers I have ever seen (!), you may have read in my last post that Arnel had, at one point, been homeless in the Philippines and singing in exchange for food. Journey guitarist, Neal Schon, found Arnel on YouTube…and the rest is history.

We love his story on Oprah:

Part one – 8.5 min.

Part two – 6 min.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “details” of life and how, on earth, things we wish for will work out. Arnel is a living example of the importance of following your joy, embracing your passion, honoring your calling.

When you do this, things will always work out – often times in ways that are unimaginable to us. Simply live your life, in the best way you know how, and let God do the rest.

Anything. Is possible.

At home, Bill and I pull cards out of a basket each morning with inspirational quotes printed on them – to remind us of connecting with the big-picture of life, amidst the day-to-day busyness. Just this morning, the card he drew highlighted that the absolute best way you can inspire others is to fully be yourself and be in alignment with your calling.

Yeah, this is what I’m talking about. It totally ties-in to the important work I do with my clients in helping them understand that if they believe…nothing is outside of our reach.

I can’t help but watch Arnel in awe. He reminds me to continue to dream. He inspires me to be my best. He shows us all that anything is possible.

What a thrill, when at the end of the show, he shouted to the crowd, “Hope to see you all soon!”…and then pointed to Bill and me with another big smile and said to the two to us: “Tomorrow night!!!”

What a spectacular ending as we were covered in confetti from the finish of the song “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

After the show

After the show, it’s hard to wind down after such a high-energy night. One of our end-of-the-night rituals is to grab something to eat and bring it back to the room and talk about our great night. Bill made his traditional stop at the gas station next door for his post-concert burrito treat called “The Bomb” (see below).

Yuck! Sorry, Babes, but that looked disgusting.

Peanut M&M’s from the hotel vending machine for me, please.

Then while getting ready for bed and reminiscing about our night, a bunch of confetti fell out of my shirt onto the hotel floor. Ha! Definitely the sign of a good party.

Even though it was vacation, we had to set the alarm early to make it to the next show. Only a few hours of sleep was in store for us. No rest for these rockstars!

We had a full day’s drive ahead of us all the way across Iowa. We needed to be at the next city in time to do our drive-by, check-in to our hotel, get ready, and then head straight to happy hour and dinner!

Driving day #2

How fun that shortly after we got into the car, one of “our” songs came on the radio – “Whenever I Call You Friend” by Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks. We stopped talking and let the beautiful song fill the space.

But it was the very next song that made us stop in our tracks: “Miracles” by Jefferson Starship. This one ALWAYS comes on before, during, or after something, well – miraculous. Seriously. I even wrote a post about its significance in our life. In fact, most recently on our Neil Diamond Summer Road Trip, we had an amazing experience just after hearing this song - go here to check it out and see what happened!

We were both overcome with feelings of gratefulness as well as anticipation. Most importantly, we were reminded that we are not alone – we are always loved, supported, and being watched out for. Our angels always have our backs.

After listening to more Journey songs and visiting a few rest stops off the interstate, Bill pulled out a birthday card for me from the backseat. I don’t know how he hides things from me – I’m not an easy one to hide stuff from! The first thing I thought when I saw the envelope was, “Hmm, looks like somebody got into my markers…”

It was the inside of the card that brought tears to my eyes (after the printed part that said “Happy freakin’ birthday!”). An excerpt of it said:

“OMG! Can you believe the night we had last night???!!! I knew it would be amazing! And…we get to do it all again tonight. Woohoo!!! I LOVE adventuring with you…our life together simply ROCKS!!!”

And it was signed from “Rock Star Prince” with a smiley face.

Here’s the kicker: He wrote out this card before we left for our road trip.

Speechless.

Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude

We found a Chipotle, where two young Iowa state troopers were taking their lunch break inside, too. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and felt moved to go up to the guys. I told them we were on a road trip and driving all the way across “their” state and thanked them for keeping the roads safe. They both responded with huge smiles and welcomed me to Iowa and told us to have a great trip. What a fun exchange!

I always like to acknowledge people for the jobs they do. It’s is an important part of these road trips for us, where we make sure to express our gratitude by giving big tips and dishing out extra positive feedback. It feels good! And it’s cool how joy is like a boomerang – it always, always comes back to you.

That night, we had awesome third row seats for the show. And if you know us, we thought – that if it was meant to be – we would try for front row seats…and then sell or give away our third row tickets. Just like we’ve done before.

So, I kept checking for seats on Ticketmaster throughout the day. I had the seating chart memorized (it was a little tricky for this show), and Bill and I knew exactly where we would love to sit: front and center!

We got to our hotel without much time to spare. We checked in and got onto the elevator, and what a pleasant surprise to take the elevator up with Loverboy’s keyboardist, Doug Johnson! It was a treat to thank him personally for the previous night’s show and tell him how excited we were for the show that night. I told him we’d be up front and wave.

Look at the cool room we got – our hotel was right next to the arena, and we laughed out loud when we pulled the curtains back. Ha! It doesn’t get any better than that.

In sticking to our ritual, Bill took a power nap while I got ready.

Just as Bill was waking up, one more time, I checked for tickets on my phone.

AAAAHHHH!!! Are you kidding me?

Front row, dead center, had just opened up. The exact two seats we had imagined!

WHAT???!!!

I grabbed them and we were elated. We decided right then and there that we would stay true to our mission and for sure make someone else’s day and give them our third row seats.

How perfect.

So many people keep asking us how we do it – how we manage to get front row seats over and over. And over. When someone recently asked me on Facebook about it, I replied that I’ll chalk it up to the 4P’s: Passion, Positive attitude, Persistence, & Pure intentions. I actually made that up on-the-spot (pretty good, huh?), but it’s all true. And I’d like to add that we do have some really cool Ticket Angels who always help us out. :)

Because so many people have asked about it through the years, it will definitely be a topic for an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned!

We set our intention for the night and trusted that we would find the perfect twosome to give our seats to. We headed down to the TGI Friday’s connected to our hotel, which was filled with a myriad of concertgoers (since it was next door to the arena), and grabbed the last two open seats at the bar.

Notice how we like to match? Black the 1st night & blue the 2nd night. :)

A super sweet couple was sitting on the barstools next to us – they were celebrating their anniversary and were so excited for the show, too.

Little did they know that we had found our targets. Sweet! It was meant to be.

Our new friends

It’s funny how, if you look on paper, we should have totally sold our first set of tickets. We had paid a pretty good marked-up price for them and thought it would be nice to get a little of that covered.

But what for?

Bill and I know that we have a mission in life. It’s about embracing the things that bring us joy; it’s about having fun in life. And…it’s about sharing all of that joy with others. So, it made sense, naturally, to make someone else’s day and just give the tickets away.

One of the many, many things I love about Bill is his tender heart. When we asked the nice couple, Dan and Julie, if they’d like to have our tickets that were right up by the stage, it was Bill whose eyes filled with tears. I wanted to hug him tight right then…but I had to stay focused on our joyful transaction with this sweet couple.

Later, when they got to their new seats, Julie said she thought she “died and went to heaven.” Awesome! Dan walked up as high as he could in the arena, to pay it forward and give their original seats to someone else. He found a couple sitting alone, and after convincing them that he was serious, the couple followed him down two balconies to their brand new seats for the night.

As he walked away, he saw the couple kiss.

Later, Julie excitedly told me, “We brought them unexpected joy as you did for us!” Love it. It was so fun to be a part of a special exchange together.

Julie & Dan from Iowa

Another ritual Bill and I have is when it’s time to go to our seats before the show, we do what we call a “Gratitude Walk”…all the way across the back of the arena to our seats. Slowly and purposefully, taking it all in and embracing the appreciation we feel for being a part of such a magical experience.

I wish I could bottle that energy and hold onto it forever.

When we got to our seats, we were happy to be sitting next to a young couple in their early 20’s who had just gotten married less than six months ago. Journey’s “Open Arms” was their ‘walk-down-the-aisle’ wedding song and “Faithfully” was their first dance song! I was impressed with their music taste, even though, most of this music was popular before they were born. Good going, guys!

Eric & Holli from Iowa

Then the guy behind us got to his seats and looked at us in disbelief at how close we all were to the stage, threw his arms up, and shouted: “ARE YOU #@*%ing KIDDING ME???!!!” in his best Joe Pesci imitation. Haha, so much fun to see everyone all excited for the show.

Concert #2

Once again, the show was a BLAST. High-energy, feel-good music that connected hearts and souls with big-time joy. To see the aliveness in peoples’ faces filled me up. This band knows how to spread joy, and their cute, energetic, happy front man from the Philippines knows just how to engage people and rally them – that’s his specialty.

Arnel gave us all high-fives and fist bumps. He sang lyrics of songs to each of us, personally. He held our hands. He led us all in singing the Journey anthems that have been part of the soundtrack to so many of our lives. He leaped around the stage with his shiny new Dr. Martens boots catapulting him high in the air.

He belted out “Open Arms” and “Faithfully” and seemed to know the importance to the young newlyweds next to us and sang a few lines right to them. As I was singing along on those songs, I was all choked up seeing them slow dance out of the corner of my eye, knowing how special that moment was for them. Holli told me later they both almost lost it.

Julie & Dan

What a fulfilling night of JOY and positivity – led by guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bass player Ross Valory, drummer Deen Castronovo…and Arnel.

Wow. I’m STILL smiling…

Looking back

When Bill and I look back on the experience, we are so in awe of getting those front row seats AGAIN. We were already so grateful for the great seats we had and were perfectly happy with them. The universe works in magical ways…

Now that I think about it, before we originally bought our third row seats, I told my contact on eBay we were “going for front and center, so I’d have to think about it.”

I tweeted to the band and said that we’d be up front.

I told the Loverboy keyboardist we’d be in the front.

Interesting.

Remember when I said in the hotel room we set our intention for the evening and trust that all will unfold perfectly and for the greater good? Maybe it was Bill and me who were really supposed to be up front, sharing our smiles with the band. Or maybe we got those tickets so that Dan and Julie could have that up-close experience. Or maybe it was so that the people that they passed their tickets along to…could have a certain type of experience. Or maybe it was for each and every one of us involved in the ripple effect.

Who knows. I don’t like to question things – I just prefer to trust. So, regardless – it all happened how it was supposed to.

It’s so cool the way all that works. Bill and I are really good about talking through everything and honoring every little thing that happens. I’ll never forget when we sat down at the bar before the show, just after getting our front row seats, and Bill said his heart was swelling with gratitude.

Sweet.

The afterglow

The next morning, we had the luxury of sleeping in (rockstars need a break, ya know!). We laid in bed and I read the concert reviews from my phone out loud to Bill in the next bed over (I love when we get separate beds in hotels where I can have the whole bed to myself!).

It was nice to chill – no show to get to and no need to hurry home. As we leisurely reminisced about the last two nights, this view from my bed made me smile!

We packed up and got into the car, and guess what was playing on the radio as soon as the car started? Journey’s “Be Good to Yourself”! So cool. Shortly afterwards, we were talking about the various songs that were played during the shows and then mentioned one that wasn’t played…and within minutes that one, “Who’s Cryin’ Now,” came on the radio, too. What? Crazy.

We drove toward our final destination: Des Moines, Iowa. There, we built in one extra night to break up the long drive home, chill, and bask in the afterglow. The night included pizza delivery and a movie (and Bill’s hot tub, of course). Aaahhh…down-time.

The next morning on our drive home, we listened to part of the audio version of Mike Dooley’s Infinite Possibilities book. The premise is that you experience in life what you believe you will experience. It was a beautiful finale to the trip as it tied in with Arnel Pineda’s life story and the experience we had just encountered. If you stay true to your passion, maintain a positive attitude, are persistent, and have pure intentions (and don’t stop believin’!)…you will live the life you dream of.

During one of the shows, we sat next to a cool guy from South Dakota, Tom, and his 16 year-old son. Tom and I emailed each other after the show, and I thought his heartfelt words captured the experience perfectly:

“Life dishes out joy in many facets and music is a big one. From the moment the lights dimmed ‘til the final bow by the band, you couldn’t ask for a more fun-filled, joyous, and uplifting performance. My son and I enjoyed every second of it, and Arnel establishes a connection with his audience that few performers can.

It was a full night of positive and fun music that swept away any cares in the world. You never know what this life will bring – I could be gone tomorrow, but I will take comfort in the fact that my son and I had a great time together and bridged the generations to get there through Journey and their music. That is a piece of joy and a treasured memory that can never be taken away from us.”

Wow. Amen.

Living our mission

About a month ago at the beginning of the New Year, Bill and I set aside several hours to do our “2012 Reflection/Appreciation” and our “2013 Visioning/Planning.” During this time, we began working on a mission statement for us as a couple. While it’s still a work in progress, part of it (at least today) states: “As soulmates, adventure partners, and lovers of life – we embrace, appreciate, and celebrate all aspects of life…inspiring others to fully LIVE.”

Thank you, Journey, for providing a backdrop for us to experience and honor our mission in action. We love you guys! And we won’t stop believin’…

Once again I’ll say it: SEE YOU AGAIN SOON! :)

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Wanna experience a bit of what we did? Here’s a fun video I found on YouTube – a great wrap-up of the show (after about 9 ½ minutes, you can see Bill and me rockin’ out for the rest of the video – hee hee!):

P.S. Did you like this write-up of our winter concert road trip? Then, here are two other road trip write-ups you will LOVE…with all kinds of other magical happenings: Steve Miller Band Road-Trip, Neil Diamond Road-Trip.

Lastly, a bit of trivia here: The very first Following Your Joy blog post stemmed from a concert road trip, too! With Fleetwood Mac.

The last official weekend of summer may have included one of the most joyful experiences of my life. I know I say that a lot, but this one was really special! I’d like to thank the popular feel-good band, Journey, and their awesome new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, for hosting the party.

They were playing on a beautiful summer night at our beloved “Great Minnesota Get-Together,” the Minnesota State Fair. Bill and I hopped on the express bus to the Fair without concert tickets in-hand (but you know us – we trusted it would all work out!) to enjoy a night of fun with the band. The show had been sold out for quite a while, and ticket brokers told us this was the “toughest ticket of the summer” to get. Really? That explains why there hadn’t been any good tickets available, which is pretty unusual.

That morning I went for my daily walk in the hot sun, and I listened to a bunch of Journey tunes to get me fired up and excited. Afterwards, Bill and I separately visualized ourselves up front with Journey, rockin’ out and enjoying every moment.

As soon as we got to the Fair, we high-tailed it to the grandstand ticket booth to see what was available. After about an hour of drama in the hot sun, including a run to the nearest ATM for cash, we were the proud owners of second row center tickets. Sa-weet! We were SO excited!

We thought it would be interesting, just for fun, to see if we could score any other great seats at the last minute at face-value and give them away to unsuspecting fans. Just like we guessed, about an hour before the show at the ticket booth, a few excellent seats opened up. In fact, they were in the front row – right in front of us!

Everything works out as it’s meant to

But when it was our turn in line, the show was once again sold out – no tickets available. Obviously, we were not meant to have those seats. We talked to the groups of people who did end up getting those tickets. The new ticket-holders were elated, and we were really excited to share the night with them. It was fun to watch them get their tickets through the window and see their jaws drop with the surprise of front row just before show-time!

Quite often, Bill and I have our special spots in the front row. WE LOVE IT THERE!!! However, when you’re in the front, you don’t get to be a part of the crowd as much. It’s just you and the band. Which is amazing and SO cool! But you miss out on some of the crowd vibe and joyful exuberance.

When I’m in the front for various shows, there are so many times throughout the evening when I turn around and slowly breathe it all in – from the tiny specks of people up in the rafters waving their arms, to the thousands of people behind us dancing and smiling. I smile right along with them, too. I love seeing people have a good time!

Our turn to enjoy the crowd

So, this time – we got to watch our new friends in the front row live it up. And I’m tellin’ ya, it moved us both to tears. Throughout the night, they kept turning around and high-fiving us, with smiles that barely fit their faces. We got to enjoy watching them – a family, a group of friends, and a married couple – have the time of their lives.

It’s always others who tell us how much fun they have watching us in the front row. And it’s super fun to get that feedback! But this time, we loved being able to witness that magic in others. We so appreciated the fun they were having because we know exactly what it feels like!

This lucky couple drove in from Iowa to see if they could get tickets!

The sweet woman here had just gotten off work and accidentally left her apron on from her booth at the Fair. Ha! She was a good sport, though, as I enjoyed giving her a hard time. :)

Our friends returned the favor and captured our joy.

We didn’t know these cool people beforehand, but the universe magically put us all together in the most wonderful way, for one fun night together.

Before the show, I asked one of the little school-age cuties in the front row what his favorite Journey song was. With a gigantic smile peeking out above his brand-new oversized concert t-shirt, he said, “Um, well I love #4, and #11 is also my favorite!” So cute.

An inspirational story

I gotta tell you what really made our night so memorable, though. It was Arnel Pineda. He’s the relatively new frontman for the band. Have you heard his story? A few years ago, Journey was looking for a new lead singer and found this guy on YouTube…all the way from the Philippines! He had been homeless at one point and was singing in exchange for food. Last year, Bill and I emotionally watched his interview on “Oprah.” It’s a truly inspirational story.

You know how it’s so easy to get caught up in the “how’s” of life? As in, “I could never do that; I don’t know how it would ever happen” or “There’s no way I could ever meet this person or go to that country or play that sport; how on earth would that work?” Well, imagine one of Arnel’s angels telling him that someday he will be the lead singer for the legendary band, Journey. What if he, while he was homeless in Manila, said, “Yeah, right. How will THAT ever happen?”

The “how” isn’t up to us. But what is up to us is to be our absolute best and do the things that bring us joy. Let the rest unfold and let the universe take over. Anything is possible.

Arnel made the show

It’s hard to explain why we were so taken with Arnel that night. While his story is amazing, we weren’t even thinking about that at the concert. We just simply had never, ever, seen anyone perform like that. Not only does he do a fantastic job of singing (if you close your eyes, you would think former lead singer, Steve Perry, was in the house), but he connects with the audience in a way that’s totally unmatched. I bet everyone around us felt like they made a new friend in him by the end of the night.

Love this one Bill captured of Arnel reaching out to me. :)

One of the gifts I think I bring the world is to help others feel seen, heard, acknowledged, and affirmed. And believe it or not, in a crowd of 13,000+, that’s what Arnel did for me. Of course I was blessed to be right up close and personal with him, so I had that going for me (!), but he spent so much time with our group around the stage that it was surreal. The way he connected with each of us on a deep level was crazy.

For us concertgoers up front, he would sing full lines to each of us individually, reach the microphone out to us, give our hands a squeeze, and flash his million-dollar smile with deep and lingering eye contact. This guy knows how to reach people in the most authentic, loving way. And he did it as he belted out each song. You wouldn’t believe the larger-than-life, powerful, soulful voice that filled the grandstand and came out of his small body (he’s smaller than me!).

Arnel is as genuine as they come. He’s the true definition of someone following their joy. Here’s a quick clip I found from the night on YouTube:

He leaps around the stage with boundless energy. Bill guessed he was in his 20’s, and when we got home and looked him up – found out that he just turned 45 this week! Which makes perfect sense. To move through the world in the way he does and to connect with hearts the way he does – definitely takes someone who’s “lived life” a while.

Here’s my favorite picture of Arnel, with our new friend, Lynn, right in front of me:

This past week, I received an email from Lynn that said: “It was a very special night…once in a lifetime for sure. So many things fell into place to make it so magical, and you and Bill were a big part of that. So glad we all got to experience it together, and somehow I feel we will always have a bond and friendship because of one crazy concert night at the Minnesota State Fair! There was an energy in everyone around us that is hard to put into words, and Arnel had us so engaged in every song.”

The day after the concert, Bill and I went back to the Fair to visit Lynn at the booth she runs. She said she told everyone at work that the concert was a “life-changing experience” for her, and all her employees laughed and gave her a hard time (yeah, I know – it does sound pretty funny!). But Bill and I totally get it.

We concur: It was a life-changing experience.

This band rocks

While Arnel is a phenomenal lead singer, the entire band – Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, and Deen Castronovo - is full of positivity and loves their audience. You see it in their smiles, you feel it their enthusiasm, you observe it in the way they interact. Drummer Deen came over after the show and personally handed out drumsticks to each of the kids around us. A night they will never forget!

The band brought tremendous joy to all those thousands of us who showed up to cheer them on and to have a good time.

One of my (many) favorite moments was when Neal, the band’s founder and guitarist, came over near us onstage. He played his full guitar solo from “Who’s Crying Now” just a few feet from us. For years, that has been Bill’s favorite guitar solo. In fact, whenever it comes on the radio and I might accidentally be talking through it (which is generally the case), Bill will turn to me with an emphatic: “SHHHH!!!!!”

The next morning I posted on Facebook: “Concert tickets: $200. Beer: $30. The look on Bill’s face while Neal Schon played his ‘Who’s Crying Now’ guitar solo just a few feet from us: PRICELESS!”

Speaking of Facebook, Bill had just updated the “About Me” section on his profile the morning of the concert. An excerpt of it says: “For me, life is all about FUN! When I was an impressionable teenager, someone I respected told me I shouldn’t always be having so much fun. It took me 30 years to realize they were WRONG.”

Then, later that day, here is one of the professional photos taken:

Photo: Tony Nelson, City Pages

See my guy in the middle having fun? That one brought tears to my eyes. I love my guy and I love that he embraces fun. He’s a good teacher for me.

And then here’s me and my smile (in the lower left) whooping it up in another photo from our local newspaper. Woohoo!!!

Photo: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo, Pioneer Press

The power of the present moment

The day before the concert, I had gone to visit my grandma at her memory care residence. We went downstairs to watch a musical performance together, and the group on stage began with Louis Armstrong’s beautiful “What a Wonderful World.”

I quietly looked over at my dear grandma, knowing that as soon as I left, she wouldn’t remember our date together. And the other residents in the room probably wouldn’t remember the performance. So, as the song played on and the music filled the community room, I felt an overwhelming reminder of the power and the importance of the present moment. Really, nothing else mattered for these sweet elders – except for that single moment in time.

There was a lesson here for the rest of us, too.

So at the concert, I was ultra conscious and extra mindful about how much I was enjoying each and every moment. Right toward the end of the show, streamers and confetti were powerfully blasted out of cannons after “Don’t Stop Believin.’”

No, I won’t stop believin’.

Simultaneous with the last note of the last song of the night – and without skipping a beat – thunderous fireworks erupted high into the sky from behind the stage, signaling the end of another truly amazing Minnesota summer night. Bill and I turned to each other with a tight lingering bear hug, and I could feel the bass of the fireworks “boom” in his chest as the sky lit up above us. If there wasn’t so much mayhem and excitement going on around us, I would have probably given in and lost it.

In this present moment, I was full.

Thank you, Journey. Thank you, Arnel. Thank you, new friends in the front row. See you all again soon…

Author’s note: Be sure to read “Don’t Stop Believin’, Part Two” – see what happened six months later!

High school reunions. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I am one who happens to love them. Last weekend was my 25th reunion. Wait, did I just say “25th”?!

I love these reunions simply because they’re so ‘real.’ Back in high school and when we’re kids, we label each other – we say this one’s super smart, this one’s pretty, this one’s whatever. Labels helped us define the world around us as we were learning to find our own way. But as adults now, the playing field gets leveled and no one has any of those labels. We don’t need that anymore.

At the core, we’re all the same anyway. We’ve all struggled. We’ve all had fear get in our way. We’ve all reached for goals or worked hard toward a dream. We’ve all questioned ourselves. We’ve all had a vision for our future.

Bottom-line: We’re all just striving to do our best in life. Plain and simple.

It doesn’t matter what your religion is, what you wear, where you live, what you do (or don’t do) for a living, what your sexual orientation is, or where you come from. The one common thread I’ve seen in the hundreds of clients I’ve worked with over the years, is that everyone just wants to feel “normal.” Each and every person yearns to know that they’re not so different from the rest of the world.

My biggest learning in my coaching profession is how we truly are all the same.

At our reunion, the stories from classmates ran the full spectrum of the human experience. We’ve had children. We’ve had cancer. We’ve gotten married. We’ve lost parents. We’ve gotten divorced. We’ve traveled the world. We’ve been dealt tremendous blows. We’ve achieved great professional success. You name it, one or more of us has experienced it. The way I see it, now that we’ve grown up – and as adults – we simply ‘get’ one another in a way that we weren’t able to in high school.

It’s this understanding and realization that I LOVE about these reunions.

I wasn’t friends with everyone in high school. And I missed out on a lot of parties (it’s okay, I’ve more than made up for it since then). There are lots of things I said or did back then that I wish I could take back. I had my share of times when I did what was “popular” instead of doing what was right. There are things I’ve carried with me for years where I might have hurt someone’s feelings or I might have slighted someone. In the scheme of life, the things I’m referring to are pretty small, but to me – everything is important and everything is a big deal.

I’ll chalk it all up to teenage lack of confidence. I’m going to let those things go, though, and trust that it’s all good now.

Moving to St. Louis Park

I started out with St. Louis Park Schools in the middle of 7th grade after moving back here from L.A. The trends were pretty different between here and there, so I remember asking another girl what I should wear here in Minnesota to “fit in.”

On that cold winter day in early 1982, she told me I’d be all set if I had: 1) Moon boots, 2) Lee jeans, and 3) A rainbow sweater. Which is exactly what I wore on my first school day here in December! Confident that I was dressed for success, I did end up forgetting my shoes at home, so I had to trudge through the hallways with my Lee jeans’ pantlegs stuffed inside my big fat puffy moon boots. Oy! A little embarrassing.

What’s so cool about these people I hung out with last weekend is that they were “there” with me during that awkward time. Whether they knew me or not, they were wearing some of the same goofy stuff that I was. They had the same teachers. They called themselves “Orioles.” They also searched to find their place in the world. Like me – they, too, simply wanted to fit in. It’s as though we all went through this really awkward segment of life together.

Life was tough for me at that time. I came here to live with my dad after my mom got remarried in L.A. My dad was a bouncer at one of the roughest bars in Minneapolis and not really living a lifestyle that was conducive to parenting a girl just turning 13. But we worked it out; we did our best.

So, at the reunion, the whole thing felt like a “home base” of sorts, and all kinds of memories came flooding back. I was catapulted back to 7th grade seeing my first “boyfriend.” I was suddenly back at a Bar Mitvah party playing “Spin the Bottle” (hee hee!). I was back in 9th grade with my dad dropping me and my date off at our school dance. I was back wandering the high school hallways between classes watching out for cute guys I had crushes on (they’ll never know who they are!). I was back at prom.

What a thrill all these years later to meet their wives or see pictures of their beautiful children or learn about the professions they’re involved in. And what a joy for me to introduce my best friend and soulmate of 20 years, Bill. SO cool how we’ve all grown up!

We all look different. I mean – we look great, but we look different. I love seeing the gray hair. I love seeing the more mature and sophisticated looks. That night, you could overhear people talking about what a drag it is to get older.

But I see beauty.

I see the mark of someone who’s “lived life.” That’s a very attractive thing. The part that fills my heart it is that we’re all doing it together at the same pace. Pretty cool.

It’s been funny as our pictures have been posted on Facebook – to hear from people who were not at the event. They’ve asked us all to please ‘tag’ the photos so they know who everyone is. Ha! Yep, that’s what 25 years can do. :)

Never forgetting

One classmate I would have loved to see that night as a 40-something, was my friend, Dawn. But she wasn’t there. I’ll never forget one particular moment in time, ten years ago, at our 15th reunion. She stood up on top of a barstool with a microphone to get our attention – it was to announce the winners of the night’s prize drawings. Freeze that image.

At our next reunion, the 20th, I had the honors of creating a memorial board for our classmates who had a checkmark in the “deceased” column. Dawn’s smiling face was right in the middle of the bright yellow board.

Cutting out and gluing the photocopy of her senior picture on that board crushed me. Looking back, she was the first one to reach out to me when I first moved to St. Louis Park. She took me under her wing and welcomed me into her family. It’s still hard to believe that Dawn is no longer here to enjoy these reunions and celebrate with us.

Life is short and life is uncertain. Who would have ever thought that one day Dawn would be here…and the next day she would not?

Certainly not her parents.

Certainly not her two children.

Certainly not her classmates.

However, it does go without saying that as time moves on – our memorial board will have more of our bright smiling faces added to it. It’s simply a reality.

Traveling the journey together

I understand that not everyone is into reunions and I completely respect that. For me, though, I cherish these special celebratory times together as we all keep moving along in this journey of life.

Many of the hugs I gave out at the reunion were to people I didn’t know in high school. For whatever reason, our paths didn’t cross back then. But that’s irrelevant. As adults, navigating life, our paths certainly do cross now in a truly meaningful and wonderful way. I’m so blessed to have this home-base posse that will always ‘get’ me in a way that feels so comforting.

The morning after the reunion, I posted on Facebook: “Every single hug, conversation, and interaction was so genuine and heartfelt – what a cool experience to be in a room of over 100 people and be truly happy to see every single person.”

So true.

God bless, Everyone. See you at our 30th!

Oh, and one final thought in the meantime. Live. Life. Now. Embrace the things that bring you joy.

I bet that’s what Dawn would tell us.

________________________________________________________

My confidence was shaken, then my faith restored…all within a matter of a few days.

Just as we were leaving to embark on a Midwest road trip to catch a few shows with my all-time favorite performer, Neil Diamond, I allowed some external voices to grab ahold of me. I let some things in that made me question what the heck I was doing, what I was spending my money on, what I was doing with my time, and how I was living my life.

Woah, I was shocked at how much power I gave to this external voice. Even though I’m 43, I still yearn for affirming approval from those important to me, ya know?

Normally a confident gal, as I was packing – I was also second-guessing myself. That internal questioning almost felt like a physical pain.

I knew with 100% certainty that this type of fun adventure with Bill would bring me tremendous joy. I knew that when we do these things, we spread a great deal of joy to others on our travels. I knew this type of experience was a part of my core and a part of who I am. And yet, I still allowed someone else’s voice to become louder than my own.

I work with my clients on this stuff all the time. But this time it was mine.

Our purpose

Bill and I believe that a big part of our purpose here on earth is to experience joy and share our stories with the world. Our intention is to help others know what is possible and that you can have the life you dream of. Especially when you are clear about what you want, your intentions are pure, you keep the greater good in mind, and you believe you are worthy and deserve it.

If you’ve read any bit of this blog, you’ve seen a sampling of some of the amazing life experiences we’ve encountered! And it seems that when we share our stories with the world, others are inspired and moved to take action in their own lives with a renewed trust in life’s abundance.

So, we make sure to embrace the things in life that bring us joy. While we’ve got a huge list of those things, a couple biggies at the top are classic rock concerts (this will explain why!) and road trips. Magical things always happen for us when we honor what fuels us; what fills our hearts. We’ve made it a priority to take at least one summer rock ‘n roll road trip each of the last several years. Here’s a fun write-up from last summer’s awesome road trip!

Preparing with an open heart

In preparation for this year’s road trip, though, I had to put the self-doubt and questioning out of my mind…which is not always easy to do. But I sat down and wrote about what was important to me and what I envisioned for our trip. I have a support team of angels all around me (we all do!) for protection, support, and cheerleading. They’ve always playfully been involved at the forefront when Bill and I go to concerts. Hopefully, you’ve read some of our fun stories that involve front row, backstage, and all kinds of other fun!

[Sidenote: Before you continue, you should know about what a big Neil Diamond fan I am!]

So I wrote a letter to my angels – writing helped make it real and cement it for me – in appreciation for always showing up on our adventures (go here, here, and here for examples!). I wrote that we were about to head out for three Neil Diamond concerts, with no tickets in-hand, and if this is really what we were supposed to be doing (embracing our joy, going to concerts, embarking on road trips, etc.), then I trust that they’ll help us out where needed – working their magic – presenting us with perfect seats and divine timing!

Of course, I wrote that we would do our part and keep looking for great tickets as well.

So…we set off on our trip with the intention of having a blast and being open to whatever magic was in store for us. We knew that everything would unfold exactly as it was meant to.

Off to a great start

While it was the string of concerts that served as a catalyst for our road trip adventure, every other bit of the trip was just as important. We prefered not to make the long drive straight through to Chicago, where the first show took place. We wanted to enjoy every moment of the adventure and stop somewhere fun along the way.

We spent our first night in Madison, Wisconsin – what a great city! It was swelteringly hot. I know everyone complains about the intense heat, but I love it. I feel like I’m being wrapped in a warm and loving blanket and I can’t get enough of it.

In addition to walking and exploring downtown in the extreme heat that night, we found that our hotel was connected to an expansive public terrace overlooking a beautiful lake. This is where we watched the sun set and also saw the moon rise.

When we awoke early the next morning, the temperature was already in the mid 90’s with super high humidity. We still kept to our morning walking ritual, though!

We love being just the two of us, off on an adventure. Fortunately, we’re great travel partners and always enjoy the same things. We love to do little random acts of kindness along the way like leave big tips wherever we go and pay for the person behind us at a toll booth. So much fun to share.

Hello Chicago!

Next up, we had a ball in Chicago. On our drive in, the thermometer hit 109 degrees! We tried out new restaurants and bars (ask Bill about his new intrigue, Trump Vodka); we walked and walked and walked; we people-watched; we went to Ghirardelli for ice cream sundaes late at night when we shouldn’t have (I still feel a bit ill thinking about it – ugh).

And there we had our first of the three Neil Diamond concerts. On this tour, it has been really tough to get tickets. It’s a shorter tour with pretty much only one show per select big city, while in the past Neil has always done multiple shows in these larger cities. We knew Chicago was going to be a high-demand event.

But sure enough, at our hotel the afternoon of the concert – we met a “guy who knew a guy” and we scored some awesome 7th row seats just hours before the show. Woohoo!

Excellent concert. Great time had by all!

The magic begins to unfold

The next morning when we left our Chicago hotel, though, was when the real magic began. As we started up the car for the next leg of our road trip (destination: Milwaukee), Jefferson Starship’s “Miracles” came on the radio.

This classic 70’s tune always accompanies the magical experiences in our lives (check out this post for more!). Even though we had been checking for tickets consistently for days - with absolutely nothing available - this song was our reminder to take a breath and trust that all was working out for us.

Hearing “Miracles” quickly melted away any anxiety and doubt we were feeling.

We arrived at our beautiful Milwaukee hotel and were so grateful for such a nice room in a perfect downtown location. Still with no tickets in-hand, we dropped our stuff off in our room, changed into our concert attire, and ventured out.

We made our way down the street to the Milwaukee Brat House where we hopped on a free shuttle to Summerfest – a big-time 75-acre music festival with 11 stages and hundreds of bands over 11 days! Their tagline is “The World’s Largest Music Festival.” I don’t know whether or not that’s actually true, but it sure seemed right-on to me!

In the shuttle (where the party atmosphere was already kicking into high gear), everyone was talking about the big concert, where they traveled from, where they were sitting, etc. “How about you – where are you guys sitting?” they asked us. Bill’s reply: “Well, there are a couple of seats there with our names on them but we don’t quite have ‘em yet.” That garnered a few comments like “Bummer!” or “You know there’s no good seats left, right?”

We just smiled at each other, choosing to stay positive.

We got dropped off and trusted that some great seats would open up before showtime. We wandered around the grounds, got a slice of pizza and a beer, and after a while went back out to the front gates in hopes of hooking up with a ticket broker who had great seats or scoring some newly released seats at the box office. However, everyone we talked to told us that this show was a really big event and we would just have to be satisfied with the few available lawn seats way in the back.

But, I didn’t believe that!

Bill and I both kept feeling like there were spots up front for us. It’s what we had been visualizing. It’s where we felt like we were supposed to be.

In between checking with the box office and random ticket brokers, we also had our smartphones with various apps to help us find tickets. Still nothing, though, and yikes – it was getting late in the day!

At one point, I paused, took a deep breath, and happened to look down only to find a penny at my feet. Not only did I remember the “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck” phrase from childhood, but I also remembered a friend’s idea that when you find a penny it’s a wink from a loved one up above. Regardless of what it meant, it felt good and I put it in my pocket.

Two hours before showtime

Outside of the festival grounds and in the near 100-degree heat, we met a lot of cool people. Everyone was doing the same thing – waiting around for great tickets to open up. But nothing seemed to move. I knew we were going to get excellent seats; I just knew it.

But I was also getting anxious to get back inside the gates! I wanted to be able to enjoy the festival and the beautiful evening on the shores of Lake Michigan. After all, we drove a long way to get there!

Even though each ticket person consistently gave me a firm “No,” I tried once again.

Wait. What?

My phone screen was so small and the sun was shining so brightly, that I didn’t even know if I was seeing the right thing. We had been to so many shows in the recent past that all of the venue seating charts began to meld into one in my head! My Ticketmaster app said there were two seats in Row D. That’s Row Four…right?

I ran over to Bill who was sitting underneath the only tree in the area to try to catch even a sliver of shade in the sweltering sun. “Is this right?!” I said to him. He shot up off the bench like a coach and a cheerleader all-in-one and shouted: “Grab ‘em!!!”

My fingers were shaking as I concentrated with all my might to correctly tap the tiny “Continue and Buy” button versus the nearby “Give These Tickets Up and Try Again” button on my phone.

After a couple of tense moments, I GOT THEM! Everyone in the area swarmed around me and asked how I did it. As my heart was pounding, I just humbly smiled with deep appreciation and said, “I’ve got Ticket Angels watching out for me.”

The bigger meaning

Every time I share one of these stories here on the blog, I always say that of course the excitement was about getting the great tickets. But more importantly, though, that excitement – on a bigger-picture level - was really about the power of abundance and what is possible. That is - what’s possible when we are clear about what we want, our intentions are pure, and we’re following our joy.

WOW! Once again, we did it!

The first person we wanted to tell was a guy that Bill and I had been hanging out with – he was there trying to get tickets for someone else. Cool guy, great company. He was elated that we had gotten such great seats. As Bill and I were ready to claim our tickets at will-call and go inside the gates, for some reason, I felt like I wanted to hug him. It was then he told us that his son had just been murdered a couple weeks ago.

Who could talk? There were no words to say. But I knew the penny I found was meant for him, so I quietly passed it along. Bill and I were grateful to have our paths cross with his. And what a sobering way to be reminded of the preciousness of life. It was a heartwarming experience for us as he showed us other assorted items that random people had passed on to him recently.

After a few quiet moments, I thought I better get up to the window to claim our tickets. The woman behind the window had seen me over the course of the afternoon and knew I had been looking for seats. When she saw that I had just scored Row D tickets, she was shocked that I got them before she did! “How on earth did you do that?!” she asked.

She then quickly pointed out, “You do know that where you’re sitting, there is no Row A, B, or C…right?”

You have got to be kidding me. Front row.

Letting it all sink in

Bill and I went back through the entrance gates into the festival and in a seemingly random motion, ran right into one of our favorite members of Neil’s band. Hmmm, perfect. I just happened to have a card in my purse addressed to the whole band sharing my appreciation. Love how that stuff works! So, I handed it off to John, chatted a minute, and we were back on our way.

After another slice of pizza and another beer, we made our way to the big outdoor amphitheater. For me, it was a mixture of being giddy with excitement and being humbled to the point of not really being able to talk.

In my previous letter to my team of angels (before we left for our road trip), I wrote:

“Your ‘magic’ is a tangible way for us to share with others about what is possible. Our stories of synchronicity and serendipity blow others away…as well as blow us away! When we share our stories, it seems to renew faith and hope in others. We feel like a big part of our purpose here on earth is to spread sunshine and joy – individually and together. You help us do that! When you help to make the stars line up for magic to unfold, we enthusiastically share that joy with others.”

“The ticket magic in our lives has been incredible! I’m sure you can feel our deep gratitude and appreciation for all the amazing concert experiences – front row, backstage, dancing, joy, connectedness, music that fills our souls. Woohoo!”

“So now, on this upcoming road trip, we invite and encourage more playful magic! We trust that the stars are aligning right now for us to fill those front row seats where we shine our lights and love to Neil and the band and lead the way for the rest of the crowd. We are up for the task and dutifully fulfill our mission.”

“We will do our part and continue to look for those great seats and trust that you will present them to us at just the perfect time. We also trust in the greater good and know that all will unfold perfectly.”

As we made our way to our seats, we breathed in everything. We walked way slower than usual. We looked all around and noticed every minute detail: The random assortment of people in all shapes and sizes, the hot breeze, the concession food smells, the background music piped in, the varied ages of the concert goers, the seagulls flying by, the excitement in the air, the buzz of the crew and security, the sweat on our skin.

Then we got to our seats with eyes open wide, jaws dropped.

Yeah, it was the front row – just a few feet from the stage. So cool – those two seats were meant for us. We don’t know how it happened (nor did any of the ticket pros we came across), but the “how” doesn’t matter. I couldn’t help but think this was the biggest nod ever from up above saying: “Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep enjoying life. Keep spreading the joy. Keep being who you are.”

An affirmation that made my heart soar.

I had graciously asked for a sign at a time of confusion and self-doubt, and it’s as though the response from the Universe was, “Here ya go, Girlfriend. Have a ball.”

Bill and I sat down in our two red padded folding chairs. We were choked up and looked at each other with tear-filled eyes and then back again to the proximity of the stage. Our glances were silent acknowledgements to each other that we know we are being watched over. I could just feel Bill’s appreciation for this universal support; for this playful magic that consistently shows up in our life.

It’s an incredibly humbling feeling to repeatedly experience things outside of the “normal” realm of possibility.

We still had plenty of time before the show, so we made our way all the way back to the lawn seats to get a view of the amphitheater from there. What an incredible vantage point! And yet, we were beyond grateful for our newly secured up-close and personal seats. :)

Showtime!

We had an absolutely unforgettable night with Neil and his amazing band. We were up on our feet dancing, clapping, and singing along – sharing our joy with the guys right in front of us on stage and the thousands next to us and behind us. Talk about magical. We were both sweating and had gooseumps at the same time. Crazy.

The afterglow

When the show let out, we floated through the grounds on a post-concert high. Thinking we would just head back to the hotel, instead we happened to walk by one of the free concert stages and heard an eerily similar rendition of the B-52’s “Love Shack.” So we kept the party going and started dancing with people in the crowd. “Wait! Look at the screen!” I said to Bill and motioned to the big jumbo screen next to the stage. It was the B-52’s! Ha ha, too funny. That made us smile big. “Tin roof…rusted!”

After their high-energy encore, we sat on a bench together and devoured a couple of hot soft pretzels and downed giant bottles of water (it was still HOT!), continuing to take everything in.

Wow, what a night.

The shuttle ride back to the Brat House also became one of the highlights! Just like magic, as we walked out the exit gates – our shuttle pulled up. Thousands of other people were lined up waiting for various buses and anxious to get outta there. But we just waltzed right on to our little party bus! There were probably close to 20 sweaty adults on what I think was probably a van meant for only 12.

The driver was selling beer from a cooler up front (no one needed any, including my sidekick in the picture below) and he had Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” blasting on continuous repeat. And when that one wore out, it was Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” we sang over and over (a pre-cursor to this experience  just a few months later?).

With all the windows down, we mostly 40-somethings were shouting the lyrics at the top of our lungs and pumping our fists out of the windows. It may have been one of the biggest spectacles on that Sunday night in Milwaukee as everyone on the downtown streets stopped what they were doing to have a look at the mayhem that was driving by.

A classic moment in time. Bill and I were on the back bench laughing during the whole ride – we felt like we were back in college! There was even a Neil look-a-like onboard with a sequined shirt. The scene was surreal!

No room for doubt!

Before the trip, just a few days prior, I doubted myself. Big-time. But after posting a photo on Facebook of Bill and me before one of the shows, the first comment that was left just minutes afterward was: “I’m so glad that you and the love of your life have so much fun going to concerts. Please keep on living your dream and inspiring others to do the same. You have that gift and it shows!”

There were several other comments and messages I received. This quote I saw on Facebook that day really hit it home for me, too: “The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them.” Awesome. Made me think back to that external voice I allowed in before we left. As long as “I” love my decisions, that’s all that matters. Who cares what anyone else thinks.

Lesson learned.

Third and final show

While on the road trip, we still had one final show to secure! The one in our hometown – the Twin Cities, Minnesota. It was taking place just two days after we returned home. And, once again, there were no good tickets available.

On a whim, Bill just happened to check out Craigslist, which we never use for tickets. Just when we’re taught to be leery of that site and the various ticket scams out there, we came across THE nicest guy from Iowa who simply could not make the show.

And he had front row seats! These were the only front row seats we ever saw available for this show.

With the concert just a couple days away, I asked the guy on the phone as we drove down the Wisconsin interstate: “How will I know that this is legitimate and I will get the tickets in the mail?”

He replied, “I’ll tell you what. I trust you. I will overnight the tickets and you just send me the money when you receive them.” Not only did I know he was telling the truth, but I was so appreciative for coming across a cool guy who was willing to help me with my dream – that I logged on to PayPal as soon as we checked into our hotel and sent him even more money than he asked for.

Trust that people will do right by you…and they will. Thank you, Todd, from Iowa. Turned out to be one of the (many) best nights of my life. :)

See us in the front?! Thanks, Katie Morrison, for the pic. :)

Mission Accomplished

Midwest Summer Road Trip 2012 was a success. A big one. Not only because we scored amazing seats and had a BLAST, but because in the face of questioning – I was forced to stand up for doing what is right for me. And I felt supported all along the way.

Interesting, too, that whenever we return from a joyful experience - vacation or road trip or concert adventure – my LifeShine business always picks up. In fact, the week we got back, four new clients signed-up for coaching with me! A new record for just one week. I see it as another nod from the Universe that I’m on the right track.

Now, I get to share my message of abundance with four lovely new clients who want to make a positive change in their lives and make a difference in the world.

Bottom line: When you follow the things that bring you joy, magic awaits.

Rock on!

Aaaahhh…a week in the Caribbean sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse. It was the type of experience that totally lights up our souls. A full week of sunshine, reggae, gourmet meals, warm breezes, Caribbean vibe, fruity cocktails…and relaxation squared. Together, we loved every single moment of it.

However, we almost didn’t do it. While we’ve had a warm-weather getaway just about every winter since the beginning of our relationship (nearly 20 years!), this winter was the first time we didn’t have a vacation planned. A big chunk of money had recently gone toward business training expenses, so it didn’t feel practical. Or even doable.

But because these winter vacations are always such a spiritual experience for us and bring us tremendous joy, in early January we thought we better find a way to make it happen. Our favorite vacation is a cruise, so Bill’s idea was for us to visualize a cruise every morning – get in touch with what that type of vacation feels like for us, imagining being on the ship in detail and how it fills our hearts.

We’ve learned that the best way to create an experience in our life is to act as if it’s already there.

So…just a few days of that was all it took for us to “magically” pool together airline miles, birthday and Christmas money, and other gift money. And the icing on the cake was the change bank we forgot about downstairs! We immediately cashed in the big Corona plastic bottle…and everything came together.

After emptying the change bank, our cruise was booked. We could barely wait!

We’re getting to be such seasoned cruisers that we decided to do something different this time. We left our formalwear at home, in service of simplicity – no cute cocktail dresses for me to pack and no suits for Bill to squeeze into a suitcase. While we love the dress-up nights, we opted for ease and comfort on this sailing. After all, this was our 12th cruise – time to shake things up a bit!

Once on the ship, the second formal night of the cruise was the only evening where we didn’t have “plans.” Since formal attire was required in the dining room (and again – we didn’t have any), we talked about doing room service on our private balcony or having burgers on the top deck under the stars. Looking at all our options and wanting to play things by ear, Bill said: “No worries, the night will work itself out.”

Famous last words.

Unsuspecting party guests

The afternoon of formal night, we attended a party for repeat cruisers. What an extravagant party they throw! Big band orchestra, fancy appetizers, desserts, and a menu of complimentary drinks. We chatted up other past Celebrity guests and relished in the royal treatment.

Stuffed from treats and cosmopolitans, on our way out we heard a voice hurriedly rushing up behind us. “Wait! Did you enjoy the party?” It was a crew member neatly dressed in uniform and intentionally seeking us out. We thanked him for the great party and explained how appreciative we were of our experience with Celebrity. It was his next question that stopped us in our tracks.

The invitation

“Would you like to dine with the Captain tonight? It would be our honor to have you at his table.”

Before we could reply, my mind went into overdrive. There was only one thing I really knew about the Captain’s table: The image of Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat” conversing with his esteemed personal guests, surrounding him in fancy attire. And now all of a sudden I had a real-life opportunity to be a part of this fantasy image I’ve held since I was a kid! Wow!

So, with big smiles we both said, “Yes, we’d be delighted!” And I swear, I’m sure we looked like little kids about to be magically escorted to the circus on an elephant.

“Fantastic!” the man said and was about to fill us in on the details.

But then reality set in. “Wait, we’d need formalwear for tonight, wouldn’t we?” Bill said.

Upon learning that yes, this was a formal affair and it did happen to be formal night, we felt completely dejected. How could we NOT have our fancy stuff with us? And even more importantly…how on earth could we turn down the most prestigious invitation a passenger could be offered?

“Wait,” I said. “Maybe we can make this happen.” We simply could not let this opportunity pass us by. I asked the nice man if we could have a few minutes to see if we could make it work and get back to him. He wrote his number down (and said to call him ASAP because he would have to find another couple if we couldn’t make it) and we were off.

Amazingly – and after a quick trip to the Guest Relations desk – we called our new friend back and said we could pull it off. He was delighted and said that an invitation would be hand-delivered to our room shortly. It was 3:15 and dinner with the Captain was at 6:00!

Mission Number-One: Tuxedo

Within 20 minutes, the ship’s tailor was up in our room measuring Bill for a tux. Normally, you have to reserve a tux at least 14 days before sailing.

Could we really make this work?

Thankfully, after a few different visits with various mishaps and ill-fitting pieces, Bill was the proud new owner of a tux rental for the evening! The jacket fit his broad shoulders, but the bottom of the jacket looked like he should have an additional hundred pounds on his gut. “Guess you’ll have to eat a bit more tonight,” our stateroom attendant commented. Not that that’s ever an issue on a cruise!

OMG, though – it was the pants that were killin’ me. You know how on “America’s Funniest Videos” there’s always some goofy guy on the wedding dance floor whose pants drop right down to his ankles? I was afraid this was going to happen to Bill. Whadda ya gonna do, though? If you want a tux ASAP, you gotta make a few concessions. He still looked pretty hot!

Mission Number-Two: Fancy Dress

I bolted and hit the ship’s elegant shopping area. I knew there were a ton of watches, jewelry pieces, perfumes, and accessories for sale…but I wasn’t fully sure what they carried in the way of evening wear.

Looking back, it’s funny that I was so confident we could make this event work out. How did I know there would be a dress that I even liked? Or one that would fit me? But with the help of two cute young sales associates, I had just the right dress for me within minutes. I actually had to make a quick decision between four amazing styles that fit perfectly – lucky me!

But, I didn’t have the right undergarments (ladies, think Spanx), and the only shoes I had were old slip-ons that I might wear to the beach. On top of that, the earrings I wear every day were gonna have to do and my only purse on the trip was the same one I brought to the State Fair last year. Oh well, this was not the time to be picky!

In under an hour, we had everything taken care of. Time to get ready! When I was in the shower, Bill had an epiphany and realized that he had no black socks, so this was the note I found on the bed:

The big night

As we frantically prepared ourselves and raced around our small cabin, bumping into each other with papers flying and things getting knocked over, Bill kept reminding me: “Don’t forget to breathe!”

All dressed up, without a second to spare! Not bad, huh?!

Out of 3,000+ passengers, there were five lucky random couples (although nothing is ever random). As instructed, we met up in the wine tasting room, promptly at 6:00 p.m. – everyone a bit nervous and unsure of what to expect. We naturally talked about “The Love Boat” and giggled a bit.

Then, the Captain walked in! He was the Staff Captain, second in command of our mega-ship. He politely went around the room and graciously shook our hands and gave each of us a big smile. We knew we were in for a fun night!

Our group was escorted to the main dining room, and I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a grand march at a high school prom, but that’s what it felt like. The Captain and we five couples paraded down the grand staircase from the upper level of the dining room to the lower level. Wow, did I ever feel special. I saw many people pause to look up from their tables and watch us with the Captain. Pretty cool!

We got to our table and experienced some of the best service on the planet and of course the food was incredible. It was fun to share in good conversation with the Captain about the ship, about the cruiseline, about his life in Greece, and about his thoughts on the recent ship sinking tragedy. What an honor to hear all this straight from the Captain!

I loved how before each course we all waited for the Captain to say “Bon Appetit!” before we dug in. It didn’t surprise me that Bill leaned over to me at dessert with a look of guilt and whispered, “Whoops, I already started.” Apparently he was on a mission to make those pants fit better.

After dessert, I passed around little window message cards for each person – the kind with a unique inspirational quote inside each one. Here’s the one I got:

What a great affirmation for me. It seems as though the whole evening was built on faith!

After a couple hours of amazing food and great conversation, each of the women received a beautiful red rose from the Captain (I don’t remember Captain Stubing doing that). And he came around again to each of us and very purposefully shook our hands and thanked us for dining with him.

What fun! Definitely a story to write home about (kind of like the nude beach escapade we experienced on our honeymoon cruise!).

The night was still young

Not that I wanted the evening to be over, but I will say it felt good to be “at ease” and let the hair down a little and hit the disco. Not much dancing for Bill, though, because his baggy pants would have ended up at his feet. So, we bar-hopped a bit (after all, if you’re gonna get all fancied up, you might as well stay up and enjoy it) and reflected on the serendipity of the evening.

We listened to a jazz quartet in our favorite lounge.

We enjoyed the string trio playing in another lounge.

And at the end of the night, I couldn’t resist capturing this shot of my guy in his tux doing what he does best…serving as a late-night pizza connoisseur. :)

Reflecting back

My dear friend and business coach/mentor, Fabienne Fredrickson, says that you will never be presented an opportunity without also being given the means to make it happen.

After being invited to the dinner, we somehow were able to pull together the required formalwear in a remarkably short amount of time: A tux and brand new dress seemed to be just waiting for us. We just happened to be free for the evening. And though I could have never imagined it happening, I was able to experience a fantasy event I had watched repeatedly play out on TV when I was nine (when my mom let me stay up late enough to watch).

You may have read stories here on the blog about what happens when we follow our joy. For example, we go to a favorite concert and always come home with a great story – whether it involves front row seats, backstage fun, a surprising kiss (!), or other amazing experience. Something fun always happens when we’re together. We do a good job of setting our intention ahead of time while staying open to the possibilities of the experience – whatever they may be.

Of course it’s important to know what you want in life and create a plan. But I always tell my clients that at the same time – it’s just as important to be open to whatever it is that comes your way. Just like we found out on our last cruise. :)

Using joy as our guide

We’ve learned the lesson over and over of the importance of following the things that bring you joy. It’s where the richness of life resides and where the magic takes place. When we follow our joy, there’s always a type of “wink and a nod” from above that seems to affirm us and say: “Nicely done.”

As we boarded the ship at the beginning of the week, who would have ever thought that a few nights later we’d be dining at the Captain’s Table? Not us! But at the same time looking back – we’re not really surprised, since this is exactly the type of crazy thing that might happen when you follow your joy and stay open to the wonder of life.

Captain’s Table photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Recently, there was a game on Facebook that I chose to play. The idea was to look up the number-one song from the week you were born and then find it on YouTube and post the video as your status update. I couldn’t wait to find out what my song was! I figured it would be a super cool song – either by the Beatles or some other classic artist that stirred my soul.

But it wasn’t. The number-one song on February 2, 1969 was “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells. Not that it’s a bad song. But I never really cared for it. In fact, through the years, if I heard it on the radio I almost always changed the station.

So I posted it on Facebook and unenthusiastically claimed it as my song. Then I figured I might as well listen to it, in full, since I was putting it out there and sharing it with my peeps.

The shift

When I hit the “play” button, something inside of me shifted. For the first time ever, I closed my eyes and fully let this tune in.

I took a deep and purposeful breath and envisioned my 18 and 19 year-old parents, kids themselves, holding me for the first time.

I imagined feeling what it might have been like to be them in the late 60’s. An independent Jewish girl who marched to the beat of her own drum. And a quiet Lutheran athlete ready to try out college. Both barely out of high school in an unconventional relationship.

As the song played on, I let myself get lost in the melody. I felt such love and respect for those kids who became my parents, and for the first time, it seems that I fully “saw” them. I started loving the song, too. I turned up the volume and let it take me away. I had goosebumps.

And then I started to sob.

Accepting what is

In a matter of moments and with this song as the catalyst, I went from fighting “what is” to accepting and honoring who I am and my place in the world.

It was just another reminder of how challenging it is to go against the flow of life. I initially wanted a different song that I thought was “cool.” But the reality was that this was the song that was number-one when I was born. Plain and simple. I couldn’t skew the facts or alter the Billboard charts. Letting this song in, in its entirety, represented me loving and embracing what is – all the way back to the very beginning. Pretty cool experience.

Just yesterday I had a conversation with a client about living a life that is more ‘congruent’ with who she is. I explained the importance of not only striving for something better…but of also holding the truth of ‘what is.’ We are all free to create any type of life we want for ourselves but not until we accept what is, first. The path to joy is clear, only when you appreciate where you’ve been and fully allow yourself to be all of who you are.

Celebrating life

Today is my birthday! I’m proud to say that Tommy James and the Shondells topped the charts the week Michelle Joy came into the world. I’m smiling thinking of my dear parents who chose to have ME as their very own.

My day today will start out with an individual call to each of them (if they don’t beat me to it!) with a message of appreciation and gratitude.

Lucky me to have the beautiful and blessed life that I do. I’ve always said that I’d never change a thing, because each step along the way has shaped me into the adult woman, rich with purpose, that I am today.

I keep this quote by Sarah Pound close to my heart, and it especially speaks to me on this important day:

“When you were born, God said ‘YES!’”

Amen. Now it’s time for me to go out and celebrate!

Please enjoy the song below that was a part of the soundtrack to my mom and dad’s life the week I was born. It really is a great song.

As you’re listening, you’ll get to take a peek at the life of a young Minneapolis family establishing their place in the world in 1969. Cheers! :)

Winters here in the Twin Cities are looong. So when things start to turn green, Bill and I get crazy. Big-time. We maximize the season and make sure to focus on the things that bring us joy. Nature, outdoor dining, concerts, boating on the lake, walks in the park, watching storms, adventuring, and exploring our beautiful city.

For the last several years, we’ve done what we call a “Midwest Summer Road Trip.” We check to see which of our favorite musicians are touring somewhere in the Midwest…and then we plot out a plan of attack. Our past summer road trips have included Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, and Steely Dan, to name a few. And the destinations have spanned Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Thanks go out to this year’s catalyst – the Steve Miller Band! With two back-to-back Midwest shows on their tour schedule, we were all in.

For us, a concert is never “just a concert.” And a road trip is never “just a road trip.” We make the absolute most out of everything we do. Call it “quirky,” “preference,” “over-the-top,” “habit” – whatever you want. It’s what we do.

While we put together somewhat of an agenda for our road trip, we also stay open to allowing the trip to unfold. When we trust that everything will work out perfectly, we’re always blessed with the most amazing experiences. To give you an idea of how things work out, I decided to bring you along on this year’s road trip!

2011 Midwest Summer Road Trip

The first Steve Miller Band (SMB) concert was in the big city of Chicago. The drive from Minneapolis gets to be a bit long and we like to break it up. So, Bill ditched cube-ville at the end of the workday in the middle of the week…and raced home to get the first leg of our drive underway.

I’m tellin’ ya – everything was on our side. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and “life” was at its peak. In the car, we set our intention for what we’d like to experience on the road trip. Both of us agreed: “Be present, breathe it all in, and stay open to the magic of the moment.”

There. Intention set.

Our first night we stayed in the middle of Wisconsin and arrived at Hotel #1 under a purple dusk sky. A beautiful crescent moon shone over the parking lot as we unloaded our stuff. To our surprise, when we got up the next morning and pulled the curtains back – this was the scene outside our window:

I had never been up that close to a cornfield before, and now I get why some horror movies are made with a cornfield as the set. Uber dark and spooky! But so cool to be up close in the daylight when things are safe.

Back on the road, once we crossed the Illinois border – we got to play one of our favorite games. For every toll booth we hit, we left extra money and told the person behind the window to pay for the next few people. Each time we were met with: “What do you mean?” or “Are you sure you want to do that?” Not only did we (hopefully) put a smile on the face of the drivers behind us, but we also gave the worker quite a smile and a lift. And the best part was that every single interaction made our day, too. Try it sometime!

Several toll booths later and after the slow drive into downtown Chicago, we finally got to Hotel #2. Which just happened to be the largest Hyatt in the world. Who knew?

We got settled and found a hoppin’ bar near the venue that was playing SMB tunes to get everyone fired up. Then on to the historic Chicago Theater.

Concert #1

What fun to meet up with our buddies, Kenny and Joseph, long-time SMB members, before the show.

As Kenny walked us across the stage and through the halls of the theater built in 1921, we could hear the distant piano playing beautifully backstage and echoing throughout. Joseph was getting ready!

We got a tour of the backstage operations, and I was enthralled looking at the walls in the stairwell…so much history. So many legends had once performed there and left their mark.

Incredibly cool to be in a small historic theater and also hang out in the green room.

The show was, of course, fantastic and had us up on our feet dancing and smiling from ear-to-ear throughout the entire show!

Afterwards, we hung out and met even more cool people – in the green room and then at a hotel lobby bar. Great deep and meaningful conversation, mixed in with laughs that still make my stomach hurt!

Bill and I are usually in bed by 10, but when you’re a rockstar things are different. We raided the mini-bar back in our room and ransacked the chocolate shelf. Finally shut our eyes just before 3 a.m.

Thank goodness for room-darkening curtains.

But then up early to make our way to the next city! We love road trips and all that they embody. One of my sweetest memories is of Bill and me eating our picnic lunch at a rest stop along the highway. You can always count on Subway to come through, regardless of the city.

The peacefulness and quiet with the summer breeze was so pure and refreshing. A butterfly hung out with us – and encircled us – the entire time. We saw cars pull up from a variety of states and we snickered at the various dogs flying out of the car as soon as the door opened. The cicadas were rockin’. And we were smiling. I gave Driver Bill the traditional shoulder rub, and then we were off and back on the road.

A few miles down the highway, I felt a little sheepish as we passed the SMB tour bus. I’m hoping that doesn’t officially define us as “groupies.” Or does it?

Next stop: Davenport, Iowa. We checked into Hotel #3 and hit the Mississippi Valley Fair where the band was doing a grandstand show. What a difference from the night before – outdoors and with 16,000 more people!

Concert #2

Our first purchase at the fair was two slices of pizza and two beers…totaling LESS than one drink at the Ritz in downtown Chicago the night before. Sheesh!

It was a blast to explore the grounds, meet some of the local folks, and see how they do things there. Everyone was super friendly.

Once again, it was great to hang out backstage. My highlight was giving the guys a hug as they were heading up to the stage…and a hug at the end of the night as they came off the stage. Priceless. I was one lucky girl.

Another fun moment was when Steve Miller heard about my blog and the premise for “Following Your Joy.” His comment: “That’s what it’s all about, and it’s why we’re all here.” Amen to that one!

I’ll never forget watching the 20,000 concert-goers, in amazement, from behind the stage. What a vantage point. Some up on shoulders, some hula-hooping, some smacking beach balls, everyone having a great time. It’s those moments frozen in time that can move me to tears. The way music connects all of us at the core is so powerful. I didn’t know one person out of the 20,000 and yet felt deeply connected to all of them for those couple hours.

Kenny does a great job of explaining this “transference of joy” via music in our previous interview. And Joseph excels at reminding people that even in a sea of thousands, we each matter.

Ahh…so grateful for another fabulous night…

Bill and I always trust that our paths cross with exactly the right people we are supposed to meet. And between those two nights, we connected with no less than a dozen people that we felt a “soul connection” with. You know who you are! And we’re grateful you showed up in our path. :)

Another late night and then back to our hotel.

The homestretch

This time, it was good to wake up on the homestretch of our road trip. Nowhere to be. No schedules. No rockstar performances. Just us.

We got out the map and instead of making the long trek home, we decided to pick a city along the way to set up camp for our last night.

Back on the road and found a patio for lunch, enjoying the sunshine and summer air.

Then in the car, we blasted our SMB tunes, sang along, and reminisced about all the fun we had at the two shows. 

It was Clear Lake, Iowa, we chose for our last stop. Who would have thought that on that particular weekend, it was their biggest event of the year? There was a classic car parade with over 600 classic cars and a big town dance in the park that night. Funny! Some of the hotels had been sold out for over a year, but we happened to get a room on a cancellation. Meant to be, huh?

We learned that this was the town where Buddy Holly and crew played their last gig before the fateful plane crash in 1959. Haunting music trivia.

We walked around the town marveling at all the mint-condition classic cars and then made our way to dinner. Afterwards, we sat on a bench and watched a park full of people dance to the music coming from the pavilion.

The band played a bunch of 50’s tunes, which isn’t our style, but it was so heartwarming to watch the older (older than us, at least!) couples dance…you could tell this music brought them right back to their younger days as they smiled and whooped it up in front of the stage.

We saw moms twirling babies and grandpas jumping up and down with toddlers. Such a joyful scene.

When the band took a break, so did we. The park was right on the lake, and the moon was shining brightly overhead. We walked out to the end of a public dock and got mesmerized in the moon’s reflection on the water and the warm evening breeze.

When the evening was over, we drove out to the darkest country road we could find and turned the car off. We watched the spectacular lightning show way off in the distance, reveled in the warm nighttime breeze, and didn’t say a word as we listened in amazement at the sheer volume coming from ‘whatever those insects were’ in the grass and trees! The epitome of a summer moment. It’s these kind of experiences that make you pause with a full heart.

The next morning as we headed toward home, we were ready. Ready to get unpacked, ready to sleep in our own bed, ready to get back to our regular routine. And as we cruised up the Interstate, we talked about how grateful we were for such a fantastic road trip. Chock full of nature, music, and deep soulful connections. We’re so happy we made this trip a priority!

Following your joy

Following your joy is about deciding what’s important to you…and then doing something about it. It’s about making space in your life for the things you love. This is exactly what I help my clients with, and I base my LifeShine business on this great quote by Harold Whitman:

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Does the way you live your life match with what matters most to you?

A great indicator is to take a look at how you’re spending your time, your money, and your energy. Are those precious resources of yours going toward the things that are important to you? Or are things a little (or a lot) “off”? If so, that’s okay. Now is the perfect time to make adjustments.

First, take some time to get clear on the things you love and the things that jazz you. Need some help? Here’s a great way to get started. And then be sure that a chunk of your time, money, and energy are focused in those areas. If that feels like too big of a leap, no worries. Start small.

It has taken Bill and me time over the years to clarify what’s most important to us and then learn how to structure our lives in a way that’s aligned with our true spirits. You may have even read about our major life overhaul when we sold our custom-built dream home and downsized and started the business? Check it out – it’s a great read. Just remember that life is a journey, and wherever you are right now is perfect.

One thing we’ve known at the core – and declared when we were first dating almost two decades ago – is that vacations and adventure are A1 top priority. And both of us have been loving and enjoying concerts since we were each in junior high. So, these Midwest Summer Road Trips we’ve created couldn’t match our “aliveness” meter any better. :)

When I posted a hot-off-the-press photo on Facebook from our road trip, one of my friends commented: “I like the way you guys roll.” Thanks, Jill. Me, too!

Following your joy feels goood. It adds such depth and richness to life.

When the rain comes there’s only one thing to do. And all my life I’ve been conditioned to do it.

When it rains:

You postpone plans.

You hope to heck that your hair doesn’t get wet.

I’m 42, and I just learned a new way.

A night with U2

The legendary band, U2, came to Minneapolis last weekend. It was our first outdoor stadium concert here since 1978! Bill and I had to be a part of all the buzz here in the Twin Cities and were excited to participate in a historic night.

In front of the new TCF Bank Stadium

Storms were predicted right around show time. Hmm, what to do? On our way to the concert, we picked up the last two clear plastic “emergency rain ponchos” hanging on the rack at the local drug store. When I asked the lady behind the counter if they carried them, she said: “Aha! I bet you’re going to the U2 concert. Hurry before they’re gone!” So we grabbed them and stashed ‘em in my purse.

It was a beautiful hot summer night here in the Twin Cities. And that’s one of my absolute favorite parts of life: Hot. Summer. Nights. Love ‘em like crazy.

We enjoyed a few beers before the show and made our way into the stadium as the sun was setting.

U2 came on and the band blew us away!

About an hour into the show – as the first notes of “Beautiful Day” began – the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and the gusts of an impending storm front swept through the crowd. And just at the same moment, colorful fireworks burst high into the sky from a nearby downtown celebration. Really? You’re killin’ me with the timing of this. It was too cool for words.

Shortly afterwards, it started raining. So we, along with a few other smart ones around us, got those ponchos on. And we stayed relatively dry and continued to enjoy the music while the rain continued to fall.

And then the downpour. Those four talented guys on that elaborate stage didn’t even flinch and kept pounding out the tunes. Lightning bolts off in the distance and a crack of thunder. The rain was so hard that it almost hurt my head! I kept my flimsy poncho hood pulled tight over my head to protect myself, just as I was supposed to.

Then it all changed.

The band catapulted the stadium of 58,000 fans into “Sunday Bloody Sunday” – with an incredibly powerful and soul-stirring performance. I felt the power of the bass in my chest. As I jumped up and down with the crowd, I noticed the standing water over my squishy flip flops, and the bottoms of my capri jeans were wet and heavy.

But I let the music fill me to the top. It was then that I woke up.

Seeing the light

A sense of “carpe diem” came over me. I ripped the ridiculous poncho hood off my head, which was getting in my way anyway, and pulled it down. Then I looked up to the sky and held my arms up high. I took a deep and purposeful breath of the fresh air in and felt the rain pelting my skin and my arms and face, and I let my mascara run all the way down my cheeks.

I opened my eyes and saw the guy next to me doing the same thing. Taking a momentary break from his night-long air guitar performance, he looked up at the sky, fully soaked, and raised his arms upward. It was like we were both thanking God in unison for this amazing moment in time. I’ll never see that guy again, but in that instant, I felt like I was connected to him forever.

I basked in it all. I’m quite sure that I’ve never let myself feel the rain like that. Ever. Complete goosebumps.

The show became a whole different experience for me as I engaged all my senses, and I felt fully alive. Giving in to “life” was the best gift I could give myself. Just like Bono sings: “It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away…”

The entire concert experience was incredible. My buddies on Facebook keep using the same word that I can’t get away from, either: “Epic.” It’s true. It was epic. I’m so grateful that I let myself feel all of life that night. It was quite the spiritual experience for me.

I was reminded that totally living in the moment is a choice. At first, I was doing everything I could to keep myself as dry as possible. Wonder what purpose that would have served? It was when I finally let go and “rode the wave,” so to speak, that I was following the joy of the moment and was fully living. Thanks, U2, for leading the way.

So my new learning is this:

When the rain comes there’s only one thing to do.

Rock on, my friends!

Were you at the show? Love for you to share your experience below!

Just a couple weeks ago, Bill and I had one of those full-circle life moments. My posts on Facebook said it all. First update early in the day: “Very excited to see Robert Plant tonight! Bill has been a fan since 2nd grade when he bought ‘Led Zeppelin II’ at a garage sale across the street for a quarter.”

Second update much later that night: “Front-row center concert tickets – $200; dinner & drinks before the show – $60; Robert Plant giving us a smile & a nod after ‘Ramble On’ – Priceless.”

Wow, what an absolute thrill to hang out right at the stage, just a few feet in front of one of the greatest rockstars of all time. An experience we won’t ever forget!

There was so much magic and synchronicity wrapped up into that night. Initially, we had fantastic third-row seats and were incredibly excited as my first Facebook update showed. Shortly before the concert, though, I ‘accidentally’ stumbled upon a pair of tickets in the pit – right up front and center. For less than face value. No accidents, though, right? So I grabbed them and figured we would find just the right fans who wanted to buy our other tickets.

When we got downtown, I didn’t want just anyone to have those tickets; I wanted someone who would truly care, someone who would really appreciate them. There were plenty of scalpers on the street who would have loved to have given me a few bucks (and that’s it) for the seats, but that wasn’t what I was looking for.

A meeting meant to happen

Just then I saw a nice couple inside by the box office. “Are you interested in tickets?” I asked. The guy’s eyes lit up and he wondered what we had available. When I said third-row center, there was an amazing bolt of energy that went through the four of us. “We just drove here from out-of-town,” he said, “And this is my youngest daughter and I promised I’d get her here.”

I looked over at the young woman, her eyes instantly filling with tears, and she began telling me what a huge lifelong fan she has been. So my eyes – and then Bill’s eyes – filled up, too. This sweet father and daughter duo was so genuine and beyond excited at the idea of buying our tickets.

We made the exchange, gave them a good deal, and the daughter so graciously said to me, “Can I hug you? I know I’m going to cry during the show tonight. It’s like you guys are angels, ‘ticket angels.’” And we hugged tight, with a knowing that there was something larger than ourselves that brought the four of us together.

Rock fans - Karlee and her dad, Jimmy

I do believe at the last minute, those front-row center seats had our names on them; they were meant for us. And part of the plan was obviously so that we could pass along our other great seats to someone else who really wanted them. Ahhh…perfect!

This fun experience reminded me of several other instances we’ve been blessed to be a part of. And every time I tell the stories, people seem to get emotional. So I decided I’ve got to share a couple of them here.

At concerts, Bill and I magically always get great seats - often times front-row. So many of our friends ask how we do it, and I’m going to save that topic for a separate post. But in the meantime, what we’ve seen unfold has to do with: 1) Trust, 2) Divine timing, and 3) Connection. Here goes…

–Sioux City, Iowa–

Bill and I had great seats to see Neil Diamond (my favorite!). When we were in the hotel room getting ready, Bill put on his Hawaiian “front-row” shirt and we headed out for the evening. Before we left, we did our customary intention-setting for the evening. We talked about how we were delighted with our tickets…but, if it was in everyone’s best interest - we would love front-row seats! An opportunity to mirror back to Neil all of the joy that he gives to us.

We went out to dinner and leisurely chatted with fans and met the locals. Afterwards, we slowly walked over to the arena in the hot summer sun, and just for fun I went to the box office and asked if any excellent seats opened up. Whadda ya know? Two tickets: FRONT-ROW CENTER. Two open seats were there just for us! Crazy. But then again, not really. This stuff happens over and over for us.

Of course we grabbed them.

And then we had to quickly sell our other tickets before we went in, since it was almost show-time. But, we couldn’t find one person who wanted to buy them – everyone was already set for the night.

I was beside myself. Caught up in the enthusiasm of getting front-row seats, I found myself stuck with spending a lot more money than we had planned on.

A shift in perspective

Here’s what I love about Bill. He had a strong feeling that we should go inside the arena and find two huge fans who had far away seats. And then make their day. 

Brilliant. Total shift in perspective.

We went up high in the arena and started asking people if they would like to sit in the third-row. Can you believe that we were met with “No thanks” and many others whose eyes quickly darted away as though we were trying to scam them?

Once again, I was completely bummed out. It was so important to me to find someone who truly cared and really appreciated being up close. Just then, I was strongly moved to go up to two women standing together and asked them on a scale of 1-10 how big of fans they were. They shouted “Oh my god – a 10!” They were really pumped up and told us how excited they were, but disappointed to be sitting so far from the stage. They said they splurged but could only afford the ‘nosebleed’ seats. 

I think I found my people.

We asked if they would like to sit in the third-row instead. When they realized we were serious (and there would be no cost for the tickets), they started crying and hugging us, and then we started crying, too. Such genuine appreciation and gratitude. They asked what they could give us and our answer: “Please just pay it forward.”

So they did! They called some relatives who were visiting from out-of-town and told them to come and use their tickets. The relatives were elated!

Thinking back, I was uneasy because we were spending way more money that night than we had ever imagined. But the return was ten-fold. It was one of the biggest highs I have ever experienced! You certainly can’t put a price on that.

The whole experience had to do with trusting that we would divinely connect with just the right people at just the right time. And we did.

Barb and Nancy from Iowa

Bill and I had an incredible night with Neil and his band, and it was a thrill to watch our new friends rock out from the third-row. We certainly did get to mirror all of our joy right back to Neil! That was the night when one of the local radio station guys came up to us afterwards and said, “I saw you guys up front. You two were the happiest mother f’ers in the entire building!” It’s true. We were on our feet and dancing the entire time. One of our many life highlights.

The next morning I remembered that my vision board at home included the words: “Front-row center” and “Road trip,” and also had a picture of Neil Diamond. Hmmmm…

–Madison Square Garden, New York City–

Coincidentally (or not), my cousin was getting married in New York the same weekend that Neil Diamond was playing at Madison Square Garden four nights in a row! That entire experience deserves a blog post all on its own. Stay tuned – I’ll work on that one, too!

Me, en route to Madison Square Garden, bubbling over with enthusiasm!

The bottom-line is this. We had great seats for one of the shows. But in “Michelle and Bill” fashion, at the last-minute we scored front-row tickets…again. Oh man, we had already spent a ton of money just being in New York, and I was really anxious to get our original tickets sold as soon as possible.

Then Bill and I remembered the tremendous joy we experienced earlier that year in Sioux City.

So I took a deep breath, and we did it again.

We went inside the arena and way high-up to the top of the world-renowned “Garden.” What a cool view from up there! But then I got lost in my head again, especially when we tried to give the tickets away to several pairs of unsuspecting fans. They didn’t want them. They thought there were strings attached. They walked away. Huh? I was getting nervous because it was getting close to show-time. I had to go to the bathroom before we took our seats. I wanted to grab a drink. Time was of the essence!

Trusting in divine connection

I was just about in tears when Bill intervened, once again. “Just trust that we will find the right people who will love these seats. Just trust.”

As soon as he finished uttering those words, all of a sudden from around the corner – paraded two women, arm-in-arm, skipping and singing “Sweet Caroline.”

I knew I had found my targets.

They skipped right in front of us and I yelled “WAIT!” The two smiley and giddy women stopped in their tracks, and I asked if they were there on their own and where they were sitting. Just then Bill flashed the third-row tickets and asked if they would like to have them.

The look on their faces was priceless. And that moment is etched forever in my mind. I started to cry and they both hugged me. “Why are you crying, Honey?” they asked. Then, they looked at Bill, hugged me again and asked, “Why is she crying?”

We passed the tickets along to them and then the four of us proudly made our way down to the front together. The two immediately made calls on their cell phones, and just hearing their enthusiasm about their new seats was worth multitudes more than we had paid that night.

At that night’s show a DVD was being filmed. Bill and I were thrilled when it came out the next year and we saw our two new friends jumping up and down in the crowd! They screamed the entire night. It was glorious. And they were part of the reason that Neil kept coming over to our side of the stage and indulging all of us.

The two women said the night for them was life-changing. They both had had a tough couple of years with health and family problems. And they said that night gave them a renewed energy and a positive outlook on life and was just the medicine they needed.

Again, we could have lamented the fact that we paid a small fortune for those third-row seats, only to give them away. But instead, we really only paid a small price for a concert experience of a lifetime – one that still gives us goosebumps years later.

With Bill leading the way earlier that night, we trusted. The right people came skipping along at just the right time. It was a divine connection along our path. And now we just happen to be blessed with two new wonderful east-coast friends for life.

Laura and Kathy, our New York buddies on vacation

There are many other stories to tell like the ones shared here, but these are the ones that stand out for me.

In thinking back to the Robert Plant concert, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to us that our ticket experience went so smoothly, since this same scenario has played out for us so many other times in the past. We never ”expect” this type of magic to happen, but we always remain open to the possibilities.

Or maybe we do expect magic. Just not at any particular time or place – leaving it up to the universe to surprise us in the most wonderful way. It sure is a thrill when these synchronicities and moments of serendipity land in our path when we least expect it!

Bill and I have seen so many magical things happen, right before our eyes. The kind of stuff that doesn’t logically make sense; the kind of stuff you could never predict or orchestrate yourself. Part of our quest in life is that we want others to understand and believe this can happen to them, too. How gratifying for us to have the privilege – in some small way - of playing a part in a magical life-moment for others. It’s following our joy in the purest sense.

Remember those folks at the arena who said “No thanks” or walked the other way because they thought we were up to no good? They weren’t fully open to receiving in that moment. It’s a good reminder that the magic might be unfolding right in front of you…but the only way you can see it is if you’re open to letting it in.

The one thing I didn’t mention in that post, though, was about all the “stuff” we accumulated in the gigantic basement of that dream house. When you have the space, it’s easy to fill it. So that’s what we did.

The stuff I had been storing in my grandma’s basement for years naturally ended up in our new house. And Bill’s parents were delighted to give him back all of his childhood things in various boxes since we had the new space. No problem, though. We shoved it all downstairs where we never saw it and didn’t even give it a second thought.

But, when we sold our big house and downsized into a townhome, we had no storage. What to do? We knew we weren’t emotionally ready to deal with all the boxes, and we reluctantly paid for a large storage locker at a nearby facility. Once we moved in to our new townhome, the plan was to slowly go through the locker and sell, toss, or donate most of everything. And of course keep a few things we couldn’t part with.

Can you say “overwhelming”?

Here’s an excerpt from a popular article I wrote several years ago – about my own personal journey – which was published in various magazines titled “I Am Free.” See if you find any similarities in your own story.

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“I Am Free” by Michelle Stimpson, 2005

I did it. It’s done. I can finally move forward. I am free.

Over the last year, I have slowly tackled my past. I had intense counseling, important conversations with loved ones, powerful coaching, and I did some deep reflecting and journaling. But what put the icing on the cake was dealing with the last of the physical clutter and “stuff” that had been like a dark cloud looming over my head for years.

I saved everything from high school and college; I didn’t really have a home-base during many of those years, so everything went into a box. The boxes were filled with letters, cards, papers, notebooks, and all kinds of correspondence from a variety of sources and people. These papers and ‘things’ had been unknowingly holding me back from moving forward in my life.

So my boxes of stuff moved with me from place to place. Some of them were even musty and moldy from being stored in various basements. Too much energy was spent hauling them around and worrying about them. There wasn’t really even much “life” to these boxes…it was just stale energy. But, after dealing with several major life transitions, I was finally ready to confront the boxes head-on.

Because there were thousands upon thousands of things to look at and go through, I was totally overwhelmed. Then I listened to my gut and began to realize that I didn’t need or want to go through everything. After all, if these boxes had been lost or destroyed, I wouldn’t have even known the difference! Can you believe that when the storage manager showed us their great sprinkler system in case of fire, she told us that most people say they wouldn’t mind if the place burned down and their stuff was destroyed?

That spoke volumes to me.

So I glazed through the contents at a pace that felt comfortable. There were select things that I gave special attention to and set aside; some things made me laugh, some things left me disgusted, and other things brought me tremendous joy. Some things I didn’t remember and had no idea where they came from. Much of it all went right in the trash pile.

Before dumping a lot of this stuff, though, I felt a need to put together a general “summary” of my past. It was important to me to make note of certain things and either reflect on them some more, take a picture to hold onto, or share them with Bill or other loved family member or friend. I did some intense journaling of what I learned while sifting through my past, which felt good.

After the exhausting task of finishing up the boxes and getting things ready for our symbolic drive to the local dump, I was compelled to share my story with some of the key people in my life. So, I called my mom. I shared a journal entry with my grandma that I wrote about her in college. I wrote out a card to my Aunt and Godmother, Jane. I sent notes to my friends. I set aside a stack of campus memories for my dearly loved college roommate, Jill, and me to laugh through together. 

And, I pulled out a few things that I really wanted to share with Bill who knows me so intimately. I wanted him to know me even more, and I’m glad I made it a priority. We sat by the fire and talked about all of my findings and learnings, and he so eagerly and patiently listened to my stories. He was so interested and was so fully present. I felt important, I felt valued, I felt like I counted. I set aside a pile of things to show him which included a childhood locket with my hamster’s picture, a eulogy I wrote when a dear friend died, a family tree project, a speech I wrote in high school, and a touching letter from my grandpa.

It felt great to formally come to terms with my past. This was way bigger than just throwing away a bunch of boxes. It was so much more than that. It was about me recognizing my past, embracing it, loving it, and being done with it.

I can’t believe how much lighter I feel. 

Working on my boxes came at a point when I was ready, and I couldn’t have done it one moment earlier. And getting rid of the clutter in my life that has held me back for so long is certainly an ongoing process.

But in letting go of all of it, I am now able to fully focus on the things that matter most to me. I am truly at peace and living the life that is right for me. I now have the “space” in my life to be me and to move forward – both literally and figuratively. 

When you’re ready, you’re ready. And the universe opens up to you in a whole new way with a set of special messages just for you. Yesterday morning, a dear friend sent along a quote by Sandra Sharpe that she probably had no idea I was waiting for.  It reads: “What do you pack to pursue a dream and what do you leave behind?”

* * * * *

What do you think?

I decided to publish this article on the blog because so many of my clients talk about how clutter has impacted their lives. There seems to be a strong relationship between our “stuff” and our “selves”. Often times, it’s difficult to move forward in life until you’ve dealt with your stuff – both physically and emotionally. And of course, that’s where I come in as a Coach. :)

If you could use some objective professional support in clearing out and paving the way, I hope you’ll check out LifeShine!

Lightening your load frees you up to be able to fully embrace the things in life that bring you joy. I can’t think of a better time to start than now. Why wait?