What Good Will It Do? Takeaway From an Overnight in New York City

There are those phrases people say that stick with us. A few weeks ago, I went to New York City with two girlfriends and our teen daughters to catch The Phantom of the Opera before its 35-year run on Broadway ends. We booked two rooms, us ladies in one and the girls in the other, for a grand old time. Which it was. Then, as we got ready to leave the next morning, I checked on a task I had entrusted to someone back home and discovered it was not being done as agreed… behind my back. I was about to text and question the hired helper when my friend stopped me: “Don’t do that,” she advised. “What good will it do?”

The Broadway Vibe

From start to finish, our overnight trip went so well that it felt like the angel of music was with us all along: everyone having a good time in a packed minivan for six hours there and back? Check. A table for seven at a highly-rated pizzeria right across the theater on a Saturday night without any reservation? Check. Clear skies and gorgeous sunny weather for traveling and on the streets of Manhattan in early January? Check. Friendly customer service, fun mood in Times Square, perfect New York bagels the next day… check, check, check. And, of course, the show.

From our seven seats near the surrounding speakers in the back of the Majestic Theater, we traveled to the Paris Opera House where we were lulled into a beautiful, poignant love story between The Phantom, Christine and Raoul. We followed the enchanting masked musical genius as he lured his beautiful soprano pupil and tried to keep her from leaving with her beloved childhood friend. We feasted on exquisite costumes and scenery, moved and swayed by the music of the night. Lost in this romantic and emotional tale, as if captured by a magical lasso for nearly three hours, the heartfelt and gripping performance transported us to the point of no return.

The musical made twelve hours of driving for our eight-hour stay quickly fade into an afterthought. Infusing additional teen perks like donuts, vintage thrift stores and great coffee among the hustle and bustle only found in New York City, we got ourselves a pretty perfect weekend in the city that never sleeps.

Perfect? In the minivan on the way home, listening to the phantom of the opera soundtrack for an encore and wishing we were somehow there again, I thought about the situation back in our New York City hotel that morning. Following my friend’s recommendation, I didn’t question the person I had hired: I already had proof of my task being unattended, knew I wasn’t going to hire them again, and there were no dire consequences. Why push it?

The Minivan Vibe

Lingering with me on the road, though, was a sense of regret, maybe even a little shame: I was feeling wrong for having wanted to double-check with the helper. Part of me was curious to know if there was a good reason for not carrying the assignment as agreed; beyond that, I was heading in a direction of cornering them and proving their negligence. And my friend was right in asking, what good will it do?

While it’d bring full closure to my disappointment, questioning this helper would only make us both feel bad and bring us down once more. Like The Phantom sang to Christine in stranger than you dreamt it after she removed the mask from his face, I might then ask myself, “Is this what you wanted to see?”

Pondering this on the highway, like a wandering child absently watching cars driving by, I felt bad… as well as afraid of being judged by my friend.

Then I realized, this was on me: I was looking in the mirror, judging myself. And my friend’s words came back to me: what good will it do?

The Goodwill Vibe

The sun felt warm on my arm through the car window. With giggles from the backseat and a few hours left to get home, I tuned back to the joy-filled minivan and joined in the fun for the rest of the way home.

It was a small contracted amount, and the next day, I paid the helper without questioning. We both know what happened. In time, they may think of me and realize I never hired them again. Or maybe they won’t. It doesn’t matter.

Thanks to my friend, I deepened my quality of life that morning. ‘What good will it do’ has stayed with me and is adding ease to my days. It’s helping me let go and forgive the masquerade of mistakes we all make and come across. And it reminds me to try and not (self) judge. Because, I ask of you, what good will it do?

So despite, or perhaps by virtue of, this tiny hiccup, I’d say, yes, that was a pretty perfect weekend in New York City. Thanks, girlfriends!

The Phantom of the Opera

Prologue

Overture

Think of Me

Angel of Music

Little Lotte / The Mirror (Angel of Music)

The Phantom of the Opera

The Music of the Night

I Remember / Stranger Than You Dreamt It

Magical Lasso

Notes / Prima Donna

Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh

Why Have You Brought Me Here

All I Ask of You

All I Ask of You – Reprise

Entr’acte

Masquerade / Why So Silent

Notes / Twisted Every Way

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Wandering Child / Bravo, Monsieur

The Point of No Return

Down Once More / Track Down This Murderer