My Favorite Riders in June

IT WAS IN HIS VOICE: If I didn't see him get into my car, I would have known he was special just hearing his voice.  I told him at the end of the ride that it's easy to hear the optimism and enthusiasm in his voice.  When I told him about one of my favorite riders who said he was an "attitude adjuster" and greets people as they walk into the store, he laughed. He had a positive attitude and a joy for life.

I did see him get into my car and it was unlike any other rider I've ever had.  He was in a small wheelchair, the double amputee put himself on the ground and took the wheel off his chair and then folded the chair and lifted himself up into my car. When he was six, 21 years ago, he was stricken with meningitis and was put into a coma.  His two legs were amputated and some fingers. He told me that he was lucky it happened when he was six, because he has no memory of using his legs.  They never concluded where the meningitis came from. He became a wrestler in high school and a two-time state champion and was in great shape. He said, "It bothers me when people say they can't do something, I try to figure out how to convince them that they can." He enjoyed working as a counselor in a camp for disabled people since going to that camp previously had been helpful to him. We had a terrific conversation and he was willing to share his story with me. I know he had a good time, because he gave me a very generous tip when I dropped him off. It was an unforgettable ride that was worth a lot more than the money I made.

MORE THAN A HAT: It was early and beautiful this past Sunday morning in Downtown Charleston. As I made my last turn to pick up my rider, I looked down the street and I saw her hat. The young woman was wearing an expensive and stylish hat.  I thought she might be going to church, but you could never have guessed in a million years where she was going.  First though, I learned a lot about hats, since she works in a hat shot in Charleston. She had always admired hats and walked into the store one day and a woman put a perfectly fit hat on her head.  She was impressed with that and when she told the woman she was looking for a job, it took a minute or two and she was told to come in Monday to start working there. The hat on her head was called a Cattleman's Crown hat and it goes for over $200. Working in the store she is able to get a free hat every month and she finds herself wearing hats all the time and it does get her a lot more attention.  She was obviously intelligent and easy to talk to and she loves living in Downtown Charleston.  She said living there, "It gives me accessibility to life." Our thirty minute ride together was ending and she made me laugh when she said, "You'll never guess where I'm going. I'm going to a Reptile Convention.  In my free time I help out exotic animals and right now we're helping a tarantula." I didn't have much of a chance to talk with her about it, but she was not joking. I know she enjoyed our conversation, because she asked if she could shake my hand. Her hat looked nice, but she was a lot more interesting than her hat.

HIS FIRST IMPRESSION WAS A GREAT ONE: As I got out of the car, the 75 year old man asked me if I had change of a twenty. He wanted to give me a $10 tip before we started the ride and I told him that only two other riders out of 8,000 have done that. I knew it was going to be a terrific ride and he didn't disappoint me at all. He has been retired for 20 years from being in social services and lives in Michigan and is about to celebrate fifty years of marriage.  When I asked him how long it took him to get used to retirement he said, "One day." He quoted Bum Phillips, a former football coach who said about retirement, "I'm not doing nothing and I'm not starting until it's noon." His wife and daughter tell him that he talks too much and I told him that it wasn't true.  I gave him a note for them that said, "I loved talking with him-he doesn't talk too much-The Uber Driver.  After the ride, he decided to tip me twice on the app and become the only rider to actually give me three tips for one ride.

HELPING THOUSANDS: Every once in awhile I have the pleasure of driving someone who is very successful, meaning they have had a lot of success in their career.  Sometimes they have the look of success, but usually it is how they talk and carry themselves. When my rider who was originally from New York got in my car, I could tell he had a successful career.  I'm guessing he is in his 60's and he started as an engineer and then worked in the health care field with Dupont for a long time, before owning his own health care business. We talked about the difference between living in the north and south and he has experience that here and in two other countries. (One was Germany). He said that his experience has been, "People in the south are always friendlier because they are outside more since the weather is nicer, however, people in the northern parts of the countries are more loyal and have closer relationships with people since they are inside more." His comments intrigued me and then I asked how he got into the health care business.  He watched his Dad closely in the hospital and found that the hospital made three serious mistakes in treating his Dad which led to him passing away at the age of 92. He said, "There are 97,000 fatal mistakes in hospitals every day. 95% of hospital workers are great and professional, but the hospital system is what fails." His business helps people get quality medical care in their home.  Having just lost my Dad a year ago, I told him I thought this was a tremendous tribute to his Dad that he was able to help so many sick people.  We shook hands at the end of the ride-it was very uplifting to hear someone  accomplish something so important at the end of his career.