And Then There Was That Time We Met Mraz.

So, something fairly extraordinary happened yesterday.

First, a recap.

My friend Jen told me that Jason Mraz would be on the Today Show on February 16th. He would then be going to Z100 and the Late Show with David Letterman, and would I want to take off of work and go with her to try and find him? I told her that I wasn’t sure and that I’d let her know in a few days. I thought about it a long while and figured, if nothing else, I’d have a day off from work and I’d get to spend it with a newly formed friend. I told her that I’d go and that I’d put in for the day off. This was about a month ago.

We hammered out the details as the day drew closer. We’d go in the night before and stay with my dad. Then we’d get up before the sun the following morning and drag ourselves to Rockefeller Center and wait outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man. Then we’d casually follow him (read: stalk .. innocently) for the rest of the day, hopefully having a moment to speak with him.

Everything pretty much followed the plan Wednesday night. We each took our own train into the city and met up at Penn Station. I took her to my dad’s apartment and we went out to dinner in Brooklyn, his old stomping ground. We nestled under the covers at about 10:30, dreading the sound of the alarm in only a few hours’ time. Well, at least I was. Sleep is probably one of the most important aspects of my life, and it takes a lot for me to get up at such an early hour. I was skeptical about our plan the following day. Deep down, I was hopeful, but the pessimist in me kept whispering her ugly, down-trodded words, and it was hard for me not to doubt our excursion’s goals.

My dad drove us to Rockefeller Center as the city was waking up. Business men and women were scurrying to and from every sidewalk, cars and cabs were whizzing and darting in and out of lanes. I told my dad that I was thankful he knew how to drive there since there was no way in heck I’d be doing it. He dropped us off and wished us luck. We stepped out into the cold of the early morning and made our way to the Today Show window, barricaded off and manned by security guards.

We made a stop at Starbucks first, naturally. Warm drink in hand, we went through the barricade and stood with the handful of other people who were all hoping for a few seconds on camera. Sure, that was enticing, but it wasn’t our goal. We came there to see the one and only Jason Mraz, to hear him sing, and to maybe have a chance of meeting him (though the pessimist in me was still skeptical). We were waiting outside for about an hour – and managed to actually get on camera twice – without a word from the news anchors about his appearance. I started worrying that maybe he wasn’t even there, maybe he wasn’t even going to show up. Jen then saw that he’d be coming out at about 8:35, so about ten minutes earlier, shivering and cold, I told her we should run back in and get more Starbucks. So off we went back inside.

As we walked through the doors, I muttered, “I hope we get to meet him later,” as I checked my phone. Jen replied, “Or .. we could just meet him right now.” I lifted my eyes and – BAM. There he was. Strumming his guitar, an entourage behind him, looking peaceful and calm. Jen managed to say, “Hi Jason ..” and I think I may have squeaked a “hi,” as well. We said hello to Mona, his percussionist, who seemed surprised that we knew her name. He waved and walked off into the studio since he was about to perform.

I was stunned. Jen and I looked at each other with the same thought: “Did that really just happen?” We managed to get our legs to move again and went downstairs to get the Starbucks we originally went in for.

After his performance, we knew that he’d have to walk back down the stairs he had walked up when we had our chance encounter. So we bolted back inside and waited patiently, trying our hardest not to scream. I was trying my hardest not to wet my pants.

And then .. there he was. No longer holding his guitar and quietly singing, but looking just as peaceful as before. I had my phone out, Jen had her camera out. He approached us and said, “I see you have your cameras out .. You guys want a picture with Mona, right?” And then we started chatting. He went to each of us, shook our hands, and asked our names. He listened when we spoke. Jen asked about his trip to Antarctica and listened to them talk about penguins. We talked about global warming and saving the environment. A third girl, also a huge fan and wearing a Jason Mraz shirt, had found her way in and was staring at him, wide-eyed and bashful. He talked to her about what she was studying in school and took the time out to really listen to what she said.

We even got our sought-after picture.

We chatted with Mona and I relayed a quote that a social work professor had told me in college: “You may feel like what you’re doing is pointless, because how can one person change the world? But everyone has a light that shines, and it may seem dim on its own, but imagine how bright it would be if we all came together to do something good?” She gave me a high-five and thanked me for sharing.

If it wasn’t for the security guards who asked us to leave the lobby, I have absolutely no doubt that they would have kept talking with us.

After it was all over, it took everything in me not to start crying. But it hadn’t even really hit me at that point. I was still in shock, completely stunned by the fact that I had just met and spoke with the man who was the inspiration behind turning my life around. It’s very cliche, but honestly .. his music, his outlook, his message .. they all saved me from the destructive path I was on. He helped me find gratitude and happiness in every aspect of my life. I don’t think I can even adequately express how he changed me for the better, without ever knowing me.

On the way home, I started thinking about it more and started crying on the train. With the melody and words of “I Won’t Give Up” filling my body and my soul, I was suddenly overcome with this unbelievable humility and gratitude for everything. Everything. That day, every day, my life, every decision, everyone, the man sitting next to me, all of it.

Life is such an extraordinary creature. It truly, sincerely is. I refused to see it for most of my life. Or maybe I just wasn’t ready to. Maybe I couldn’t accept the beauty of life. And, sometimes, it’s easier to just look around and complain about the bad things. I had always found excuses as to why my life wasn’t good enough – or why I wasn’t good enough – but I get it now. We are beautiful, as we are. We have such power to make this world magnificent just by being in it. It all makes sense.

And it’s all thanks to a man in a hat (which, funnily enough, he no longer wears).

I know, for sure, that 2012 is going to be the best year ever. I’m going to make sure of that.

L to R: Jen, Jason, Me, Mona!

Oh, did I also mention that Jen and I also won tickets to the taping of the Late Show with David Letterman where - surprise! – the musical guest was Jason Mraz?