Take a Minute To Say Thank You

Yesterday morning I received a phone call around 10:30 from a woman in quiet desperation. The night before she assured me I was not needed for the show the following day, but at 10:30 the situation had drastically changed. The person she had scheduled overslept so she called asking if I could fill in. Within seconds of hanging up the phone I was showered, dressed and in the car heading to the arena. Now, I have never met this woman but when I drove up she came running to my car with her arms open wide. I could barely get the car turned off and the door open before I was enveloped in her arms, a complete stranger mind you! But something happened in those few seconds of her grateful embrace….I felt needed, I felt wanted and I felt appreciated….all because I said yes. She quickly ran me through the specifics of the day and introduced me to the woman I would be working with. A hurried hug and she was off, never to be seen again. But her recognition of me was felt throughout the day.

The day progressed as does most days in the production world...moments of complete panic and chaos followed by moments of perceived down time. In one such “down time,” in walks the head of catering saying one of her employees got hot grease splattered in her eye and another was in so much pain from an abscessed tooth. The paramedics came to treat the greased splattered eye while I took the abscess to the hospital. The gentleman was a 6’4” African American self described gentle giant but it was evident he was scared to go to the hospital. As we were walking to the car, he reached over, grabbed my hand and said, “Thank you for being here with me, I don’t think I could do this alone”. Once again, a complete stranger vocalized his genuine appreciation…I was blown away and so honored by his authentic gesture. I sat there in the waiting room of the hospital for 1.5 hours completely content while being entertained by the multitude of costumes coming through the emergency doors on the Saturday night before Halloween. After leaving the ER, I took him straight to the pharmacy to get his prescription filled. While we were waiting we chatted like old friends, telling stories of family and friends, sharing war stories of tour and festival life and thoughts of the current state of things. I think the pain medication might have started to kick in because he just started giggling about the smallest things…which of course made me giggle at him! Back at the arena before parting ways, he stopped me right there in the middle of the loading dock and hugged me…again thanking me for being by his side and taking such good care of him. My heart was filled with such joy words cannot begin to describe.

So I challenge you to always remember to say thank you…it could mean the world to someone, sometimes more than you will ever know.