Memories of an Unpleasant Concert Souvenir

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For the most part, after about 700,000 miles of travel in my life, things have gone well. I’ve had a few issues, as has anyone who’s traveled that much. I have one comical recollection of having a headlight burn out while driving through Georgia one evening. Being afraid of the “reputation” of “southern cops” and the fact that I still had Hawaii plates on my car (the car had just been shipped home), I stopped at a Sears and bought a headlight, and changed the headlight in the parking lot. It wasn’t “aimed” but it was working! Four years ago today, January 12, 2015, I had probably my worst concert souvenir ever, depicted in the picture. It didn’t happen at the show, but rather after I’d returned to my hotel. It was in Chicago, and it had snowed. After the show I ran down to my car to get something. On the way back my foot found a patch of ice. So I’m in the emergency room of a hospital, over 300 miles from home, with no idea of how I was going to get home (given that it was my right ankle). And that’s why I’m mentioning this. I don’t know if you’d call me a pessimist or an optimist. I tend to think that a lot of people take advantage of anything and everything (for instance, the scammers were in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina before the Red Cross or Salvation Army). On the other hand, many — most, probably — people are good. With an injury like this, one is helpless. Two angels came to my rescue: my brother, and a friend who lives in Chicago. I got my brother a bus ticket and he came up to get me. My friend (whom I met at a concert, if that shocks you) picked me up at my hotel and drove my car to the Greyhound station to meet my brother. From there, my brother drove us home. My brother took a day off from work to ride to my rescue. Let me tell you what my friend in Chicago did, however: he took his bicycle to the train station where he’d be getting off and secured it there. He then drove his car to my hotel and left it at the hotel. After he dropped me off, he walked to the train and took it back out to the suburbs, where he picked up his bicycle and rode it (remember, it’s January in Chicago!!!) to the hotel to retrieve his car. How much did he ask? NOTHING. He let me treat him to lunch but refused any other offer of money. He wouldn’t even let me give him his train fare back to the suburbs! The next time I went to the Hideout I paid his admission. But that was it. My brother wanted about the same. As we live in the same place, it was easier to compensate him. His favorite bluegrass performer is Rhonda Vincent, so I got him tickets to see her for his birthday. There are lots of things for which I’m thankful over this episode. When I fell, I was close to the entrance of the hotel, so I didn’t have far to crawl. It was a “clean” break, meaning I didn’t have to have surgery to “help fix” the break. The hotel’s insurance covered most of the medical bills. Most of all, I had family and friends who proved worthy of the title “family” and “friend” by coming to my rescue when I really needed it.