Sometimes you stumble into a situation in life that is so over-the-top, you have to pinch yourself.
Fact # 1
We have ALWAYS watched the Dallas Cowboys football game on Thanksgiving Day.
Fact # 2
My brother and I grew up as big Dallas Cowboys fans and Thanksgiving was the only day we were “guaranteed” to be able to watch them on TV.
Fact # 3
After college, my brother became a full-time, traveling comedian.
Fact # 4
Over the years, the organization that booked my brother for the most gigs was the Salvation Army.
Fact # 5
The charity that the Dallas Cowboys support and provides its most meaningful public support on Thanksgiving Day is the Salvation Army.
Fact # 6
My brother is shameless in asking his contacts at the Salvation Army for the chance to score tickets to the big Thanksgiving Day game.
Fact # 7
In 2013, his (and by association my) wishes came true.
Phone Call: “If we got tickets to the Cowboys game, could you go?”
This phone call came from my brother and I could hear in his voice that the possibility was real. He had made some friends with the higher ups in the Salvation Army and they were going to give him “something”. He wasn’t sure what exactly, but he knew we were gonna get in. So, he and I booked flights, rented a cheap car and we flew to Dallas. Anticipation was in the air.
We arrived at what is affectionately known as “Jerry World”, as the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, is more like an amusement park than a football stadium. Words on a page simply cannot do it justice.
Our contact with the Salvation Army met us the day before at the entrance to the stadium, and without much fanfare or vibrato, handed us 2 all-access, gold-plated, neon-lit tickets to the owners box. YES! The OWNERS BOX!
A lot happened before we were able to enter the owners box.
A trip to the field to watch the players warm up.
A tour at which we were told our all-access pass would work anywhere and no one would even try to stop us from going anywhere.
A trip to a special banquet hall where we ate a Thanksgiving meal with the Jones Family, the owners of the Dallas Cowboys, and about 30 or so Salvation Army personnel.
We just kept looking at each other saying “is this real?”
The way we were treated was on a level I have never experienced. Hospitality and generosity at levels beyond belief.
They knew my name!
The most incredibly impressive thing I experienced on this once-in-a-lifetime experience was the attention to detail in making me feel special. There was a printed name card at the location of my seat. That card probably cost less than $2.00 to create, print and set up. But that $2.00 was what made me feel like the people who run this show know a little something about hospitality.
You can roll out the red carpet all you want, but if you are still just a nameless, faceless person in a big crowd, there is no real satisfaction.
For billionaires to go to the trouble to print a name card is mind-blowing to me.
Surely they would know that ANYONE who got to sit in the owners box, with a full compliment of waitresses walking around the ENTIRE game, serving snacks like lobster quesadillas – yes – anyone who got to experience that would walk away awe-struck, amazed and impressed.
I don’t know how billionaires impress each other, but I doubt its by printing a $2.00 name card. No, that goes deeper. The lady of the house, Gene Jones, is the heart of the operation. I am certain that she is behind the little details of name cards and the photographer who comes into the box and takes photos and then gifts the photos to us.
She thanked us!
When the game was over, Mrs. Jones made her way over to us and gave us a gift. As she was giving us a gift, she SOMEHOW made me feel like it was her honor that I was there! She genuinely thanked us for being there and seemed to really care that we enjoyed ourselves.
The Cowboys won the game and two of their players were selected to eat some Thanksgiving-style food on national TV. We walked away having eaten Thanksgiving dinner before the game, having a full buffet inside the owners box and having waitresses bringing us snacks and cookies the entire game. I have never been so uncomfortably full in my entire life.
All that is nice. All that is cool. The stories of what we did and saw are almost unbelievable. Even the famous Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders came into the owners box for a photo opp.
But there are 2 things that stand out among the glitz and glamour.
- They took the time to learn my name.
- They thanked me for coming
What can we do in our daily lives to make people feel better?
Is it really that simple? Can we really make a difference in the lives of those around us by just (1) learning and using someone’s name and (2) being grateful?
I really believe that we might have found a simple formula for life.
What you do think?
