Get Out of Jail Free
I was 23 and living in the Northwest when I decided to drive back to my parents' home in Little Rock, Arkansas to surprise them for Thanksgiving. I had discovered while traveling that some hotel lounges would let me drop in at happy hour, perform for their guests and then collect whatever I could in tips; a great way to make some cash for a young man with few expenses and no major responsibilities.
I had been driving south through Colorado into New Mexico and had just performed the previous night at the Sante Fe Hilton. I made enough money for a few tanks of gas and a couple of meals. I hit the road again early the next morning, but unfortunately did not pay attention to my gas gauge. My car jerked and spluttered to a halt there by the side of a corn field on Highway 40. I was ten miles past El Reno, Oklahoma, and without a phone.
I had never hitchhiked in my life, but in this moment I could think of no other way to get back to the town of El Reno to a service station and a gas can. So I pulled my cold hands out of my pockets and lifted a thumb in that direction. I was nervous and cold. Passing cars were few and far between, so I started jogging in the direction of El Reno to keep warm and at least move in the right direction.
Not only was I not offered a ride, but most of the cars actually swerved to the far lane to avoid me. Many of the drivers looked fearful and I could swear some of them were actually speeding up as they went by. I wound up jogging the 9 miles back to El Reno without a single offer of help or assistance. I began to wonder how they ever got a musical out of Oklahoma, which seemed to be about the unfriendliest place I had ever been.
I finally found a service station. The man who glanced up from his newspaper as I walked through the door suddenly looked very alarmed. "What's with these people?," I thought to myself. After I explained what I needed he seemed to relax a little. We filled a gas can and hopped into his tow truck to return to my car.
I was still wearing a red and white striped shirt that I had performed in the previous night in Santa Fe. (Picture on the right.) Maybe you've already figured out what happened, but I didn't until we were on the highway again and I saw the big yellow sign with black letters that read,
Prison Area - Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers
El Reno Federal Correctional Institution.
Given that piece of information it was completely understandable why everyone had sped past me. I was an unshaven, 23 year old male running along the side of the road in the equivalent of penitentiary-issued clothing trying to get a quick lift.
One goal we could have for this New Year is not to take things personally and to remember that most of the things that seem like big problems are usually just big misperceptions. It usually costs us nothing to be released from the jail of misperceptions, whether they belong to others or ourselves. If we refrain from taking things personally, most of the time we get out of jail for free.
How You Know if You've Had Too Much to Drink
The Good Ole' Days
An old photo of me wearing my "Redman the Juggler" striped shirt and smiling like I would always have this much hair.
Quotable
"On cable TV they have a Weather Channel, twenty-four hours of weather. We had something like that where I grew up. We called it a window."
Dan Spencer
Don't miss this month's
Hidden Camera Video Clip
of The World's Funniest Waiter in action.
Rick Lewis has been entertaining and inspiring audiences for the last 30 years. The success of The World's Funniest Waiter over the years is based on clean, interactive comedy and high-level circus skills.
Total Event Success in 3 Courses
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