Last November, I noticed that John Cusack, probably my biggest celebrity crush from high school, was going to be in Pittsburgh to talk about his movie, Serendipity. Also a favorite. I immediately purchased two tickets. I had no idea who would go with me, but it made no sense to buy only one.

Fast forward, I have been seeing a guy on and off. Yes, I have mentioned him before. We were back on and talking about the show. I was excited. Then I got the dreadful, “I’m overwhelmed and you deserve better” text for the THIRD time and I knew I was going solo. I tried to find someone to go with me, but no one was free.

As Cusack was speaking at Carnegie Music Hall, I really didn’t want to deal with parking. So I asked Isaiah to drop me off. He did so, on his way to work. As I walked into the venue, I thought things looked a bit off. The entrance was dark. So I walked up to the side entrance.

I was greeted by a young man, Tyrone. He was the security guard. I showed him my phone with the ticket on it. He said, “Oh, you are at the wrong place. That’s at the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead.”

Um, what?

So, I had not even looked at my ticket. He was absolutely correct. And as a life long Pittsburgher, how did I not know there was more than one???

ugh

It was too late to ask Isaiah to come back. Tyrone showed me the correct address. I started chatting with him about my evening. I told him I had been dumped. He so kindly offered to be my date! His boss was not open to him leaving, though he was also kind and hilarious. Turns out he is a stand up comedian!!!

Now, if I had allowed myself to get upset and overwhelmed by my error, I would have missed out on fun conversation! Tyrone and Jeremiah were sweet and funny. Of course Ubers take a while, so they just kept me company. I got a notice that an Uber driver was on his way and we all rejoiced. A few minutes later, I got a notification that I had been dropped and the app was looking for another driver. Jeremiah commented, “Dumped again!” and we all laughed!

Twice while I waited, other employees walked through the space and complimented my look. I needed that!!!

Finally, I got assigned another Uber. I got to the correct venue only 30 minutes late. I left my business card with Tyrone, who said he needs a new therapist, and swapped social media with Jeremiah.

Turns out, they were showing the movie Serendipity first. I have seen that movie about 20 times, so being late was no big deal. Once it was over, they brought John out to talk and answer questions. He was funny and charming, as expected.

I had a blast and met new people. Yes, I lost money on the unused ticket. Oh well. What I did not lose was the opportunity to try something new and connect wih people.

Be present! Roll with the punches. Don’t stress over silly mistakes. Life is to damn short!!!

And yay to seeing your high school crush a few decades later!