THE FIRST TIME GRANDPARENT: It was 6:30 am Sunday morning and the woman ran out to the driveway to greet me. She was very excited. Talking in a loud voice she told me her daughter was having a baby in Maryland two days earlier than expected. She had to get her dog to the "dog place" and then she had to get to the airport. We loaded into my van the dog, the dog's bed, the dog's food and her big suitcase. She was getting texts from her daughter at the hospital on how far apart the contractions were. I was driving, trying to keep her calm and hearing the play by play from the hospital. As we pulled up to the airport the daughter was giving her husband the phone to continue texting, because she was going to start pushing. The new grandparent was on her way to see her first grandchild and she was still very excited when I left her at the airport.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION(AMA): It was a long ride to the airport and I had a great time speaking with this woman. She is halfway through her one year term as The President of the AMA, which is an association that is almost 175 years old and it's purpose is, ""To Promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health". She is the first African-American to be elected to the office. She had to campaign for it by interviewing and by debating her opponent which was an hour long session of answering questions by a panel. "I became a doctor(pediatric) because of the television show Marcus Welby MD. I was impressed with how he cared for his patients and his community. People discouraged me, but Marcus Welby made the difference." We discussed medical shows on television and the opiod crisis in this country and how we're making progress. She was inspiring and she was a real professional who was delightful to talk to.
MINI-GOLF GOES MINNESOTA WILD(Minnesota's hockey team are the Wild) My early Sunday morning ride to the airport with two couples from Minnesota, provided me with a lot of laughs for the day. I was talking about all the mini-golf in Myrtle Beach when a guy who owns a beer distillery said, "I've always been disappointed in mini-golf." I told him years ago I had an idea to have a History Mini-Golf where every hole was one or two big moments in American History. Someone suggested(probably him), what about Beer Mini-Golf? We talked about that each hole would be a different kind of beer and if you get a whole in one you would get a cup of that beer. It was at that moment that the discussion really got out of hand. The same guy said, "I've thought my whole life about Stripper Mini-Golf." It wasn't a long life since he was young, but there was talk of a pole and possibly having to remove clothing also. Fortunately, I arrived at the airport shortly afterwards. I told them that if I heard about any of these new golf places in Minnesota I would know exactly who started it. We were all laughing as I dropped them off.
THE PUBLIC SPEAKER FOR WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP: She was my first ride early in the morning and I hit the jackpot. In her late twenties she travels around the country promoting women's entrepreneurship. "I was an awful employee, my mind just works differently." For her first 2 1/2 years she didn't pay herself anything while she built her business. "I ate a lot of eggs, that's what I could afford." She was helped a lot by Ivanka Trump's organization that promotes women's entrepreneurship. Her association with them though cost her some speaking engagements, including one at Cornell University. She travels extensively to speak at colleges and women's organizations and conferences. She also coaches woman entrepreneurs in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. She told me, "I'm not big on the victim mentality that some people have. Today, it's easier now than ever for women to start their own business."
THE ALMOST PILOT: She was going to be a lawyer and takeover her Dad's law office eventually. When she was in high school she took a ride in a small plane and could not stop talking about it. She decided she had to become a pilot. "I moved from Minnesota to South Carolina so I could get more hours in the air." She's six months away from having enough miles to work for an airline and she's very excited about it. She's been a flight instructor and in Minnesota she was a nanny and a Lyft driver to pay some of her bills.
THE DEDICATED WORKER: We've all worked with people who have trouble getting to work on time. Some people are just always late or they just aren't reliable, my rider was remarkable. At 41 years old he was working at a Longhorn Steakhouse and he was making quite an impression. He was re-starting his life after making a big mistake as a kid and spending a number of years in prison. He had to get a starter's permit since his driving records were too old, so he rode a bicycle to and from work. He rode it about 90 minutes each way, six days a week and on some days he worked over 12 hours. Trying to be optimistic, I said, "at least you get some good exercise." He replied bluntly, "it sucks." When he had major problems with his bike, the managers at Longhorn all chipped in and bought him a new bike. There was heavy rain the night before so he took an Uber home and I was bringing him to work. I was impressed with his attitude and of course his work ethic and it looked like he had turned his life around.
SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On back to back days I got to sing to passengers celebrating their birthday. On a Saturday morning, a Dad and his 9-year-old son were in my car and the Dad said it was his birthday. I asked the birthday boy if he wanted me to sing Happy Birthday to him and he said I could. The Dad wanted to know if I was a singer. When I said I wasn't, he joined me in singing to his son. The next day a Mom and her 7 year-old daughter were in my car and after hearing it was the girl's birthday I told her about the 9 year-old boy the day before. She was a little shy, but eventually said I could sing it and her Mom joined me. I told both kids that this will probably be the only time their Uber driver will ever sing "Happy Birthday" to them.
THE IMMIGRATION LAWYER: She had been in the field in New York City for only four years, but she was obviously very dedicated and very bright. Our conversation was about how things have changed the past three years with the new administration and how broke the system was. She was not a fan of how it worked now, because she said it was unfair to people. However, she did say that if it continues, "eventually we will be able to get through the backlog of cases." She said there were no easy solutions and the problems have existed for a long time. I'm certain she's going to continue to do the best she can for the people she represents.
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