It is such a happiness when good people get together—and they always do.
—Jane Austen
While on a cross-country flight, I met a man who turned idealism into financial reward in the most unlikely of places—high-rolling Las Vegas.
Jack Thunder grew up in Nebraska when TV shows were in black-and-white and heroes stood for right over wrong. As a young boy, he studied those heroes and adopted their ethics while living in a small community where kinship, neighborliness, and self-responsibility were normal practices.
The story of Jack’s affluence is founded upon his unwavering application of the values he saw others practice when he was a child and transferring them from Nebraska to Nevada and beyond. His innate skill was how to survive on promotions that kept his product in the public eye. He made a career out of simple wedding ceremonies. Along the way, married the love of his life, he built a business based on romantic love and met one of his childhood heroes.
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The gate at LAX where I waited to board a morning flight to Philadelphia was crowded. Nearby an unusually tall, well-dressed, and athletic-looking man was having a cell-phone conversation—that everyone else could hear.
“Don’t worry. Just chill and you’ll find a job,” he said.
Easy for him to say, I thought, assuming he was a professional athlete. His friend won’t find the job of his or her dreams by chilling. Finding that requires stirred passions from the fire in your heart!
As this thought passed, the eyes of another waiting passenger met mine, as if she’d read my mind. The look instantly broke my urge to interject, leaving me to slip with restless compassion into my seat.
Fortunately, at that second, we got the call to board the flight. This same woman was seated in the window seat of my row, and the man in the middle appeared to be her husband. He was pleasant as we found room in the overhead bin and arranged our carry-on luggage. We settled in, and he turned to me with an extended hand.
“Hello, I’m Jack, and this is my wife, Cindy.”
Cindy smiled, and I introduced myself. I was glad to have good row neighbors for this long flight. “Were you thinking what I was thinking back at the gate?” I asked her.
“Oh, about the job? Yes, I definitely understand. It was quite a journey for my Jack to find his passion. An interesting job to say the least. Maybe Jack will tell you about it!”
Read the complete success story in the book, The Quiet Rich: Ordinary People Reawakening an American Dream.
Kevin J. Palmer, Author
The Quiet Rich
