Tickets To Ride

Re-written from 2023 for Great Minds Think –
Unexpected Impact. Our hosts, Sarah & Rohini, ask us
to examine something that had a powerful impact.

Forgive me …. I’ve written about this before and you may have read it, but this story fits the bill perfectly. It’s based on a true event …. one I will remember forever.

“Organized? You call this organized? I see stacks of magazines on the floor, clothing on your beds, and why is there a bottle of Coca Cola sweating on your desk? There better not be any water rings on the wood. Now finish up in here; we haven’t got all day and my patience is wearing thin!” 

The voice of my long-suffering mother rang in my ears.

My mother was a strict, in-control-at-all-times perfectionist who rarely let her guard down or showed her emotions …. which is why what happened that ordinary day in August left both me and my sister bewildered, squinting our eyes, skewing our faces, and scratching our heads wondering who this imposter was in our mother’s place.

Mom dramatically raised her arm above her head. Suddenly the sky parted, angels sang, and a brilliant stream of light shone down upon an envelope in her hand. My sister and I stared in disbelief as realization struck. We hugged each other, jumped up and down, screamed and cried tears of joy for peeking out of that envelope were three yellow tickets that looked exactly like this:

Three passes into a world we only dreamed of, a place greater than any national treasure, a fantasy land more majestic than any shrine, tickets more precious than gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

Clapping her hands twice, Mother brought us back down to earth. “Hurry and get dressed. The show starts in four hours and traffic will be a nightmare. Dresses only, girls. No blue jeans and definitely no shorts. And for heaven’s sake, wear your bras; you are not animals and this is not a free-for-all!” 

Oh, really?

Sacred tickets in hand, we jumped into my mother’s 1957 Ford Fairlane 500. It seemed to take forever to arrive and we sang one Beatles song after another. In the distance we caught our first glimpse of Shea Stadium glimmering in the glow of the New York sun like the Land of Oz, and the Four Wizards were there waiting to play only for us …. well, us and approximately 65,000 crying, screaming, hyperventilating fans.

We found our seats and finally had our first real chance to look around. Our eyes widened in awe; surely this was even more spectacular, more jaw-dropping than the Colosseum in Rome which we had seen just one month earlier. Finally, after waiting for what seemed a lifetime, television host Ed Sullivan appeared on stage and tried to speak over the roaring mass of adoring fans. These were the words he spoke that night: “Now, ladies and gentlemen, honored by their country, decorated by their Queen, and loved here in America, here are The Beatles!”

Pandemonium, a mania the likes of which had never been witnessed before broke out as the most beloved musical group of all time ran onto the stage.

My sister and I grabbed our binoculars and raced to the bottom of our tier for a closer look. Hearing anything over the cacophony of the audience was almost impossible and we screamed and cried right along with everyone there. At one point I looked back, stunned to see my mother laughing and singing and dancing in the aisle with a strange man! 

That night my world was changed and my greatest dream came true. I had reached Mecca, climbed Everest and walked on the moon. Being there was beyond surreal. It was the most electrifying and exhilarating experience of my life. That night remains etched in my mind and on my heart for all eternity. 

Well done, Mom. Well done. 

NAR©2023, 2026

This is “Ticket To Ride” by The Beatles

Unexpected impact

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me unless otherwise indicated, and may not be used without permission. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}