GRATITUDE

I am fascinated at how cheap people can be when it is to their benefit to be generous. For 20 years I wrote for Carnival Cruise Lines, I wrote their newspaper ads, their brochures, some press releases, vanity items for some of their executives, even the lyrics to more than a dozen songs featured on their cruise ship videos. Most important, the art director and I conceived the "Ain't We Got Fun" campaign, which put Carnival and Kathie Lee on the map.  During this time I never got a single free cruise from Carnival, though my agency did pay for me to take a Carnival ship to California. Once I retired I wrote to Carnival's president requesting a discount on a cruise to Europe. I assumed they would be delighted to reward such an important cog in their success. Wrong. The president wrote me denying my request, but assuring me that if I did take such a cruise I would be treated very well. Now wasn't that big of them?