We'll all get to see our Hamilton - 7 steps to having a good time.

Step 1 – break toe.

Kicking the corner of a nightstand at 6am is one way to jump start a morning. Following the toe folding collision, one can find themselves hopping across the bedroom while whisper cursing, which in this case, led to a full collision with a dresser. The stylistic “hip-check” of the dresser following the morning toe folding is not the way I wanted to get my morning started. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we thought, do they?

“At least I get to see Hamilton with my wife, tonight.”

Step 2 – spend time with those you love.

I’ve seen bits and pieces of Hamilton via Disney+, but I typically shut it off as my internal dialogue reassured me that I’d buy tickets, eventually, so when the show announced a stop in East Lansing, Michigan (Wharton Center), I decided it was time. This purchase was made in October 2024 and our show was scheduled for May 21st. It was now – May 21st and I’ve kicked my toe, hip checked a dresser and started my day with more than two dozen curse words.

Good morning!

Step 3 – distractions.

Work has been tumultuous for two years. My industry and most of the working world finds itself in a uniquely gross place, so my 8-10 daily meetings have an ominous feel, as we work through what I’d call our version of survival planning. Layoffs have been frequent and because of the role I play, this means that I deliver terrible news, all while planning for what might occur if I must receive one of the messages I’ve been delivering. 

Step 4 – you have the tickets, right?

I was running a few minutes late – needed to be on the road by 5pm – and it was 5pm and I was just getting changed. The last few years has given me the opportunity to choose being a grumpy asshole or an enlightened and peaceful soul. I’ve chosen grumpy asshole more often than enlightenment. To stay consistent with that vibe, my wife and I argued most of the way to East Lansing and in the middle of a rude and condescending sentence, my brain quickly pivoted to…where are our tickets? StubHub typically sends transfers approximately 3 hours before show time, and we were 30 minutes into a 90-minute drive, I was being grumpy, and then I had to get on the phone with StubHub to find our tickets- what could go wrong?

Step 5 – are you fucking kidding me!

StubHub: “our seller had a problem.”

Me: “no shit.”

StubHub: “this is your fault – you should have seen an email from us.”

Me: “what kind of shit show are you running, here?”

Also Me: “I want my money back, so I can feel more peaceful about driving home, after driving to the theater (at your request) and picking up my tickets from Will Call, because your seller had a problem with your site.”

StubHub: “we’ll have to refer this to the internal team”.

Me: “are you the external team?”

StubHub: “we’ll do the best we can.”

My wife (sitting shot gun and listening and now power whispering): “give us our money back.”

Step 6 – laughter for the win.

My wife’s comment stopped my mental toe stubbing, and I laughed. She laughed. We muted StubHub (they weren’t laughing) and then we were put on hold, again. A minute later – StubHub stopped blaming us and processed a refund. We drove home and chatted it up – we had a romantic dinner (McDonald’s) and the conversation kept on.  

Step 7 – the couch is more comfortable than the theater.

We made it home and decided to flip on Disney+. If we weren’t going to see Hamilton live, for now, we were going to watch it from start to finish. We did and we loved it. I realized something last week. The universe is unconditional. I wanted to see Hamilton and I did. It wasn’t the way I planned it. It wasn’t the Venue I assumed it would be, but nonetheless, we saw Hamilton. Life is always going to throw us curves, wrenches, complications, and my learning: we’ll always get to see our version of Hamilton. Whatever you might be facing in this journey of yours, remember that no matter what is occurring – you’ll get to see your version of Hamilton even if you have to kick furniture, miss tickets, fight with a partner, all before you realize that laughter stops the insanity in its track and allows for the choice to see the infinite ways our lives have beauty and goodness.

God bless all of you- and may He send peace to you during your times on this planet.

Much love- Trav

If you enjoy these posts, please subscribe to The Paperclip Thinking Blog and don’t be shy to leave a comment, because I love discussions & dialogue. If you want some good content – follow on Facebook and Instagram: @paperclipthinking

I've sampled, tasted, and seen.

I’ve sampled…

Love, hate, jealousy, anger, compassion, humor, peace, tranquility, excitement, fear, nervousness, embarrassment, anxiety, confusion, engagement, depression, loneliness, exhilaration, community, lifted-spirits, care, concern, grace, patience, exhaustion, humility, arrogance, and each of these energies shaped me. I’ve fought with each of them, wrestled and battled with each of them, and even when it made zero sense to embrace some of them, I still did.

I’ve tasted…

Sweet, sour, salty, rich, decadent, savory, earthy, bitter, smooth, burning, and each of these palate testers, shaped me. The ability to taste is a gift and it allows for such depth in the experience of life’s nourishment.

I’ve seen…

Clouds, leaves, trees, skies, rainbows, waterfalls, waves, oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, puddles, islands, mountains, deserts, plains, birth, death, disease, health, animals, canyons, valleys, trenches, and each of these gifts from our planet come with a memory, an experience, an adventure.

I’m experiencing…

Life. And there’s so much more to experience. I wish for each of us to wake each day with a curiosity, a willingness to adventure, and the blessings to keep our eyes, ears, taste buds, and hearts wide open. As Dr. Seuss once said, “Oh the places you’ll go.”

God bless all of you- and may He send peace to you during your times on this planet.

Much love- Trav

If you enjoy these posts, please subscribe to The Paperclip Thinking Blog and don’t be shy to leave a comment, because I love discussions & dialogue. If you want some good content – follow on Facebook and Instagram: @paperclipthinking

The Boy who had to make noise...

He was taught at a young age that impressions matter, so year after year he worked to impress. To make those impressions, he made noise. That noise came in the form of questions to everyone he met. He asked all the people all the questions, so he could make those impressions and make them feel seen and heard, but he didn’t share his motives.

The impressions he made continued and so did his unwillingness to say what he truly wanted. He continued to ask questions to everyone encountered, yet he silently started drowning in the noise he was creating. He wouldn’t admit it to himself, but he really wanted to be seen and heard, that’s it.

All that noise being created wasn’t for them – even though he thought it was – that noise he was creating was built under selfish and conditional terms.

They took – he gave. It was symbiotic and it was not sustainable, because of the hidden conditions. The energy he created while making noise began to lose its luster as he perceived a painful truth. The truth about givers and takers. Givers give and takers take, and he realized he was a taker disguised as a giver. Pretending to be a giver, when he wanted to be a taker allowed resentment to form, and this resentment changed the tone of his noise. It became harder and darker and began to cut and slice.

That gentle and curious nature of the giver was drowning in the selfish noise of the taker. He hadn’t been truly curious. He wanted to be seen and was asking questions solely to receive questions in return, and it was that conditional curiosity that led to the gasping and drowning.

 Irony struck. Life threw curveballs and he didn’t want to drown, he wanted to thrive. It was in that moment, his last breath before dipping below the surface that the realization of the power of being a giver lifted him up. Being a giver fuels curiosity, which sparks listening and that listening saves lives. The willingness to see and hear those around him without the condition of being seen or heard in return allowed for peace. After years of being a taker in hiding, he learned that becoming an unconditional giver lifted that true curiosity and his listening allowed learning. Becoming an unconditional giver saved the taker.

God bless all of you- and may He send peace to you during your times on this planet.

Much love- Trav

If you enjoy these posts, please subscribe to The Paperclip Thinking Blog and don’t be shy to leave a comment, because I love discussions & dialogue. If you want some good content – follow on Facebook and Instagram: @paperclipthinking

Gifts.

We receive them for birthdays, baptisms, during the holidays, for retirements and a host of other occasions, don’t we? Gifts play an interesting role in my life – how about yours? I’ve always enjoyed the planning that can come along with gift giving… thinking about what could be given to express appreciation, love – you know the drill.

November is the month of “giving thanks” in the United States and it is also the month when my wife and I celebrate our birthdays (November 24th for her – November 29th for me). This time of the year is always my favorite – not because of my birthday (or hers) – although birthdays are still crazy fun. It’s my favorite because there is a lifted spirit in the air and people seem to embrace the energy that comes with gratitude and giving – it’s infectious and uplifting.

So… as I think about gifts for my teammates at work, for my wife on her birthday, for my friends and family during the Christmas season – I also spent some time this week and thought about what I want for my 49th birthday. As I figured it out – I started to wonder if this gift idea might also be good for all of you, this year.

It’s the gift of turning the page. The gift of respecting the learnings from the past and embracing an intentional focus on today and the future. It’s a gift of self-love, so that we can become the truest versions of ourselves, which in turn creates such a good experience for those around us. I’ve been working, since 2008, to surrender to the reality that I’m doing the absolute best I can, while still enjoying my time on earth. I’m learning and growing daily – and I know you are too, even if you don’t feel it or believe as you read this. You all deserve love, honor, respect, care, compassion, adventure, peace, and the growth that comes from the daily work you put into your life.

The ultimate gift, from my perspective, is giving love to yourself, so that you can rain that beautiful energy on everyone and everything around you. That’s what I’m giving myself this year and for the rest of the years that I’m blessed to be on this planet. I wish the same for all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving and love is on its way to you now…

If you enjoy these posts, please subscribe to The Paperclip Thinking Blog and don’t be shy to leave a comment, because I love discussions & dialogue. Want more discussion in your life - check out “The Venue” – a Zoom based discussion club that I facilitate every other Wednesday. To join the community, please email me (travis@paperclipthinking.com) and I’d be happy to welcome you into the world of discussion-clubbers.