THE AIRPLANE PAINTER: In the old days people always looked in the newspaper for a new job. My rider worked in Florida in retail eight years ago, when he decided to change careers. He found an ad in a newspaper for a technical school that had a two month class on how to paint airplanes. He took a risk and paid $2,000 for the class which had only seven people in it. When he graduated he applied to dozens of places, but the only company to reply happened to be Boeing. They offered him $38,000 to start, but he said, "I wasn't convinced it was enough until they said I could work overtime." His first year he made $80,000. He told me all about painting airplanes: planes are repainted every ten years and usually takes 7-10 days to complete with a staff of over 50 people working on it. The paint alone cost $1 million dollars and the whole job usually is a few million dollars. He loves what he does and he knows that he was lucky to fall into this job just at the right time.
THE BODY BUILDER: When you think of a bodybuilder you definitely don't think about someone who looks like the woman who got into my car. At 54 years old, she had just competed and finished fifth in a competition and was thrilled with her results, because, "I was the only one in my class who did not juice." She started doing this at the young age of 48. She's a fitness trainer with 20 clients and she's raising three children by herself. I asked her how she was able to accomplish so much and she said, "it's all time management, I plan everything in advance." She keeps in shape by exercising religiously for only one hour each day. It was an inspiring ride for sure and to top it off this woman did not look a day over 40. She didn't have super powers, but most people would agree that she is a, "Wonder Woman."
THE TEXAS TRUCK DRIVER: He and his wife got in my car and in a short time he made my day. We joked about him being a Cowboy fan and me being a Giant fan, but that was just the beginning. When I told him that he better be nice to his wife or he'll have to walk, he said, "I'd make a good hood ornament." I could just picture him hanging off the roof. He definitely had a way with words and explained how he tells his friends how his marriage has survived. " 1. I married my best friend. 2. I know that she's really trying to kill me slowly and I'm not going to make it easy for her. 3. She can leave anytime she wants, but I'm going to go with her." They had a big fight once and she packed her bags and then he started packing his bags and told her that he was going with her and that ended their fight. I thanked him for the ride, because it was the ride of the day.
CHANGING HIS DAY: In a hospital I used to deliver to there was a sign on the door that said, "I can't change your life, but I can change your day. " When he got in the car he was visibly upset and annoyed. The almost 44 year-old New York Detective was in town and a friend gave him a place he could stay and said there would be a car available for him too. There was some miscommunication because there was no car and I was taking him to the airport to rent one. When I found out he was a detective I said, "I don't get a chance to talk to too many cops, so thank you for what you do. I know it's difficult these days being a cop, but most people really do appreciate the police." His mood changed immediately and he told me, "I work in the beautiful sections of Brooklyn."(he was kidding) He has been a cop for 22 years and I asked him how COVID affected his work last year and what his opinion was on the "attack" on the Capital in Washington. He said, "I think there are more digital footprints that have not been released" about the attack. He also commented on the "Defund Police" movement and said, "the people in charge should be held accountable for the loss of life it's caused." When he got out of the car he felt a lot better than when he got in and that meant a lot to me.
"I DON'T HAVE ANY HOBBIES": At 27 years old, I found that hard to believe. I was taking him from one restaurant to another and from his real Dad to his step Dad. Our ride turned out longer when we got stuck with a swing bridge opening up just before I dropped him off. He sounded like he was burned out and under a lot of pressure as a project manager and had just reduced some of his hours. It didn't take me long to find two hobbies of his that he had been ignoring. He enjoys working out and also personal development is important to him. I gave him a list of great books that I have and he's going to see if he can find some of them on tape he can listen to. He had had a couple drinks already, but I wondered if he would completely remember what we talked about. Two weeks after our ride he tipped me $14 on the app-he remembered and I enjoyed helping him out.
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