Wicked Karma

Los Angeles, October 2008
We fought the LA traffic and finally arrived at the Pantages theatre 2 hours early with great anticipation to see the musical Wicked. As we walked by the theatre, a man wearing wicked green yelled out ”2 minutes left to enter a drawing for 2 front row tickets for $25/each, must have cash, come and enter your names.” In Chicago, I had entered into the contest and lost, but some guy who had won two tickets gave me one, and so my first experience watching Wicked was front and center and cost me $25. So I was pretty optimistic we had a good chance of winning. Two hundred people surrounded the Green man and he started turning the cylinder that held our opportunity. Into his microphone he explained that 10 names would be drawn and 20 total tickets would be given out. He yelled out the first name and a few claps and a few mumbles oozed from the crowd. The Green man was disappointed and started explaining to his captive audience, “We have something in California that we call Karma, the louder you cheer for those that win, the greater your probability will be of winning. So I want to hear some cheering, believe me it works.” That was all I needed to hear. A principle with a promise, I wanted those tickets. The next name he called was Travis, and I went bonkers. At the top of my lungs I yelled, “Travis, you rock!!, Way to win the tickets, You are the man, yeahhhhhhhh!!!” I was ecstatic as I could be short of going and slapping him on the back. He had some time to walk and claim his tickets so I was pretty boisterous for the full 30 seconds. Michelle was a little uncomfortable and I got a lot of weird looks. Then all of a sudden those weird looks melted into envy as the name Michael Linton was pulled out of the golden cylinder and he who cheered the loudest won the tickets. I believe in Karma. “For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again…” (Alma 41:15)