THE INSPIRING MOM: I have been fortunate to meet many incredible people in my car, but it would be difficult to say there have been even a handful who have been more impressive than this woman. As a single mom at the age of 19, she found out that her little boy was diagnosed with a rare disease, which caused him to have fifty seizures as a baby. The seizures have already caused a lot of damage to her son, who at four years old, cannot walk or talk. She made a point of telling me that he's a happy child and is always smiling. She watched him die twice and be brought back to life. He is on special medication and has been doing well for the past two years. He has already passed his life expectancy and she believes he is going to make it and she's doing everything she can to help him. She told me, "I am strong," and she's very determined. She's working full-time as a medical assistant and knew since grade school what she wanted to do. A couple years ago she was in a mall with her son and a woman came over to her and said, "Has your son had seizures?" After saying, "yes", she told me, "the woman said he was going to be alright and I'd get through this," and then she walked away." I didn't ask many questions on this ride and I let her tell me her story. I thanked her for sharing it with me and I wished her the very best. This is one young woman who has gone through a very tough four years and hopefully the worst is behind her.
THE POSITIVE BARTENDER: They say that it takes only seven seconds to make an impression on someone you meet for the first time. My rider did that in less than five seconds. As he got in my car he read the sign I have on the back of the front seat that says, "South Carolina law requires everyone must wear a belt and a smile." He said, "I like that. You see what you project." He was a delight to speak with and he made me laugh when he said, "When I used to make pizzas in the Virgin Islands, people would ask why my pizzas tasted so much better and I said, "happy dudes make happy foods." I suggested to him that he should read Dale Carnegie's classic, "How To Win Friends and Influence People" and he told me it was on his nightstand. As he got out of the car he said, "It's going to be a good day." He was right and he helped make my day for sure.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: He was an impressive guy before he told me what he did, I could just tell. At 71, he was carrying a heavy golf bag and two smaller bags and for him it wasn't a problem. He's the Chief Operating Officer for the United Negro Fund.(UNCF) The UNCF provides funds for around 40 different black colleges and universities and has been around for 78 years. Fortunately, I had a good twenty minutes to ask him about his career and he was very willing to share it with me. He's had many positions starting as a CPA and also working for the Olympic Committee in Colorado in the past. He told me that the United Negro Fund, "gives out around 100 million dollars in scholarships each year and donations have increased over the past couple years." His main job this next year is to find and train his replacement since he is going to retire next year. He tried to retire twice, but was asked to stay. It's been a very rewarding job for him and it was a pleasure to speak with someone who has given so much time and effort to help young people. He enjoyed my interest also and made a point of shaking my hand goodbye.
THE PART-TIME TRAVELER: It wasn't adding up what the young woman was telling me. I was taking her to the Waffle House since she was a server there. She told me she was a, "Part-time Traveler," a term I had never heard before. She explained that she takes a 3-5 day vacation every month, because she loves to travel. She wants to fill up her passport and has a number of trips planned the next few months. Then, she told me that her goal was to be a chef who travels the world and she's in Culinary School. I found out she was only 20 years old and she's going to be a flight attendant like her Mom, who just retired from an airline. She had very specific goals and dreams for her life and I have no doubt she's going to succeed. She's already decided she doesn't want to have kids, because she's not someone who likes to take care of people, even babysitting. Her solution was that since she wasn't going to use her eggs, she will sell them so someone else can have a child. I ran out of time, but it was a fascinating ride from beginning to end.
THE GROOM: He was married the night before and was going back to the reception place to get his car. His wife was recovering at the hotel from the day before. He was very easy to talk with and we talked about the wedding and how they met. His wife used to be his bartender and she kept giving him hints which he didn't pick up on. He told me that they are taking a honeymoon in the summer, but, "My wife and I for now are just going to an island for a couple days, she calls it a "mini-moon." But, the best part was when I found out he was a history teacher and then he really opened up. We talked about 15 minutes about all kinds of history stuff. When he got out of the car, I told him that his wife should thank me because he got his fill of history for their "mini-moon". As he got out he said, "Someone left a $20 bill back here, it was me." Me: "Thank you, you know when you get married, you're supposed to get gifts not give them?" Him: "I got a lot of cash last night." He may have enjoyed the ride as much as I did.
THE TRAVELING DENTIST: One occupation that is very popular today is a Traveling Nurse, however, a Traveling Dentist? I have never heard the term before and I got lucky getting this ride which was the last ride on a terrific day. I had the part-time traveler that morning and I told my rider about the story and she enjoyed it. This woman is licensed in three states and she substitutes when a fill-in is needed. She had spent twenty years working full-time as a dentist and was burned out and this situation is perfect for her. Sometimes she works a few days and sometimes a few weeks. I knew I was meant to pick her up when she told me, ""I wrote a journal every day of my 48th year and I'd like to write a book about it. I survived a Typhoon near Guam stuck in my bathroom with my cat for most of the night when winds were at 200 mph." I told her about the book I was writing and of course she loved getting my list of rider comments from last year.
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