Are you Fortunate?

I turned my father in-law onto Joe Bonamassa at some point and he was able to see him recently in concert and raved about him. 

I was able to see Joe Bonamassa, on a weeknight, for very little money, at a very small club in Athens Ohio that held, I’m terrible at approximating these kinds of things so I’ll give a wide birth and say, between 500-1000. There really wasn’t a bad seat in the house. 

Consider that Bonamassa is a world-class guitarist and can fill venues to 20,000. 

I was very fortunate.

I’m not done. I was also able to see the Derek Trucks Band there. Twice. I was able to see Charlie Hunter there, again on a weeknight. I was able to see Koko Taylor there, Tab Benoit, Paul Thorn. 

How did this happen?

A man was taken hostage. 

What!?

Yep, in 1985. A guy named Terry Anderson. 

“He was the longest-held of the American hostages captured in an effort to drive U.S. military forces from Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.”

He received a settlement of, reportedly, 26 uh-million, and from it, opened a blues bar…in Athens Ohio…where I lived and breathed. 

Mr. Anderson had to file for bankruptcy. 

All this just has me wondering, what does it mean to think that you, or me, or Terry Anderson is fortunate?

 

What if fortune, or luck if you like, is a zero sum game?