We all have moments that we remember more than others. Memories that still give us goosebumps, or take us back to a giddy state of young love.

Most of us don’t spend our lives waiting for just that one moment, hoping it will tell us why we’re here; we have multiple moments. One breeds another, or two or ten. They are part of our everyday lives, like driving in the car and realizing what last night’s soup needed. And then there comes the rush of excitement about trying the soup again. 

I think that’s what I love about Mutual of Omaha’s aha moment campaign. After two years on the tour, I’ve learned that there’s no magic formula or crossing your fingers. We celebrate aha moments because they’re not exclusive. You don’t have to be something or have something or achieve something. You just have to let a lightbulb go off, and then if all goes well, act on it. Why not? 

I loved asking some of you how you felt after acting on your aha moment. Responses were frequently a quick, “exhausted.” But then followed with very authentic explanations that it may be hard, and you may not be getting a lot of sleep, but you would rather be feeling that exhilaration than always wondering. What if you just kept your stable job? What if you never bulked up the courage to ask for her number?  

That’s why we celebrate aha moments around here. Because with all the bad news we hear, it’s nice to hear some good news for a change. And if you can trace back the good stuff, the big stuff in your life to a specific moment in time, it’s an empowering feeling. Not to say that all aha moments are happy ones; some are quite sad. But almost all moments have made you realize something for the better.

At some point this summer a reporter wrote an article that featured, well, me. I was the woman who has heard hundreds, if not thousands, of America’s stories. 

I was taken off guard. 

While it was a flattering article, I just see myself as the person in the dark who made you feel comfortable sharing your story with three strangers and a camera. It was my goal to make you feel like you were talking with an old friend. But for the most part, I was just the interviewer in the dark who pressed record and asked the next question.

I often got asked if I ever recorded my own aha moment. I hadn’t. That changed at the end of the tour—on day two of our Salt Lake City stop—when I mustered the courage to step out of the dark and into the lights. So here, joining with many of you, is my aha moment:

—

As I said after my first year on the tour, thank you. Thank you for imparting your wisdom and sharing your stories with us. Because though I was just the person next to the camera, I’ve had the privilege of spending 185+ hours listening to them. And I am forever changed.

Signing off for one last time,

Jessica

Feel free to keep me posted on the cupcake business, roller derby team or you know, your dog Tucker, at @jessicahenry. Your stories are what made my job the best job in the world.

Thank You.

Thank you cupcake bakers, writers and non-profit starters.

Thank you.

My aha moment, you ask? Listening to yours. My aha moment is realizing that because of people like you, everyone can follow their dreams and attain them. 

Before the tour, just like most people, I had my dreams in the back of my head on cruise control. But now that I have met each and everyone one of you, my dreams have taken control and are speeding right ahead.

YOU have inspired me, and I can’t thank you enough.

It feels like I’ve crammed one thousand lifetimes of experience and knowledge into my head and heart, and now, I feel wise beyond my years.

Many times as you were walking out of the Airstream, you kindly thanked us. But you are the ones changing the world and following your dreams, and for that I thank you. We turned on the lights and hit “record,” and you did the rest. Without people like you, who knows what the world would be like. I am incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to meet each and every person who participated in this year’s tour. 

It was truly one of the best experiences of my life.

I can’t thank you enough,

Benjamin Sidoti

If I asked my mind to replay our surprise San Diego tour stop, these 2 minutes and 24 seconds are exactly what I would see. 

Without having much to add, I’ll just let you go ahead and click play. It’s worth a watch and will either leave you feeling amped up, amused, exhausted, or all of the above (hopefully not exhausted).

Thank you, San Diego for being a part of Mutual of Omaha’s aha moment tour. Unless there are any surprise holiday tour stops in the works (and there aren’t, trust me), that makes San Diego the last tour stop for the year. 26 of 26.

That’s all folks,

Jess

It’s a wrap for Salt Lake City!

As I sit here writing from our San Diego tour stop I can’t help but wish we could all go back to Salt Lake City. The air was crisp. We were on the brink of all things fall: hot apple cider, college football, falling leaves…

And the moments we recorded there were spectacular. It was our 75th city, why wouldn’t they be? From conversations about all-natural chocolate to setting up a dog stool for the interview, Mutual of Omaha’s aha moment tour was not lacking.

I actually lived in Utah growing up. It was for a short period during high school, but looking back I wish I would have spent more time in Salt Lake City. Things are happening; young people are moving into the city and the exchange of ideas and experiences is shaping the community rapidly.

Thank you for sharing your stories with us, Salt Lake City!

Here’s to 75,

Jessica

It’s a wrap for Missoula!

Nestled in the backyard of the “great outdoors,” Montana is an incredibly happy place to be. Parking lot attendants, radio personalities and downtown shop owners treated us the same way: with a twinkle in their eye and a flash of their carefree smile. I think the crew was unanimously looking forward to this stop, originally for its environmental setting, but got way more than we bargained for. I remember googling “happiest cities in America” because I was sure Missoula would top the list.

Aside from the friendly locals, there were a few more highlights from our 24th tour stop:

- We recorded a pregnant woman in labor. That was a first. 12 hours in with her fourth child, but Crissy was determined to record! Watch her aha moment.

- Camping in Glacier National Park. Every year we spend at least one night camping (although not in the Airstream). After many suggestions from Missoulian locals, we chose Glacier National Park. Watch the Slice Of Americana video here.

- We also recorded Ellie, from the House of Montana Representatives, and Cynthia, a meter maid in downtown Missoula. Both have incredible stories and I was honored to interview them.

Well that makes it a wrap for our Missoula tour stop this year. Thanks to everyone who came out to record!

Oh, and here’s a couple fun appearances the Mutual of Omaha Airstream made in Missoula news!

- KPAX TV

- The Missoulian

Wishing I could go back to that big blue sky,

Jess

There are some incredibly original and interesting stories in South Dakota; we were honored to hear a fraction of them.

Set up downtown at the Main Street Square, Mutual of Omaha’s aha moment tour Airstream was parked for two days to record one of the widest ranges of aha moments we’ve ever had in a city.

From a geologist to a broadcast-personality-turned-bagel-maker and the son of a reptile garden founder, we loved hearing your stories, South Dakota.

But as we must say with all of our tour stops, it’s a wrap for Rapid City!

A couple blog highlights:

-Our cameraman Ben goes In The Moment with the Rushmore Rollerz derby team

-A Slice of Americana featuring the best of the west… in South Dakota!

Thank you Rapid City!

With one more inspiring story for the road,

Jess

Mutual of Omaha’s aha moment tour visits its home state: Nebraska!

Aside from the state fair (check out our blog video) and Friday Night Fest downtown, our Airstream loved Nebraska. We got to record so many incredible stories from locals at the Museum of Nebraska Art, some about kids getting to go to college, choosing to buy local and one about what inspired an author to write her cookbook. 

So we’d like to thank Kearney for sharing your moments with us, your deeply personal and inspirational moments of clarity. Thank you!

Shout out to our home state,

Jess

I love it when the Mutual of Omaha airstream parks somewhere unique. Sometimes people in the immediate vicinity will wander down to the airstream and depending on the location we’ll meet zookeepers, street artists, bus drivers, surfers, motorcycle enthusiasts, etc.?

So when we recorded at the public library in Topeka, not only did we meet many wonderful (and curious) librarians, we also witnessed the outstanding crowd that flocked to the city’s incredible resource everyday. It was incredible! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see so much foot traffic at our Topeka stop.

We met some great people, and even tried our hand at decorating cupcakes [IN THE MOMENT with Billy Vanilly] while we recorded. Thanks so much Topeka for the warm (really, it felt like 100? degrees) welcome. And I even celebrated a birthday while we were in town!

Until next time Kansas,

Jess

Fargo,

We were moved by your stories, your songs and your weather. Set up at one of the best places in the area, the U.S. Bank Plaza, we got a great glimpse at the growth happening downtown. We also had a warm welcome from just about every radio and TV station in Fargo!

The best parts, still, were the stories we heard from the community. Thank you to everyone who shared. 

The highlights:

Behind the Scenes: Norwegian Singing with Kari-Jo!

Initial recap: Our photos of the news action!

Behind the Scenes: Movie night watching Fargo

Best movie night on tour (and in case you’re wondering, we did not get to see “the woodchipper”),

Jess