ALMOST MS. AMERICA
I was driving these two women in Mt. Pleasant to their independent living location. One of them said to me that the other woman, "She won a contest." The woman in black said, "That was a hundred years ago." I told them, "If it was a hundred years ago, I want to know about it." That's when I found out that the woman in black was Miss South Carolina many years ago and she finished first runner-up to Miss America. I told them that we have to take a picture of them for my car and it's now hanging with many of my other passengers. Although they've only been friends a few months, you could tell they were already best friends.
ADVICE FROM THE NAVY
He had been in the special forces for the Navy and had quite a career. When he saw my picture of four riders from Nigeria, he asked, "Did you ask them about their killing factories?" He told me that trafficking body parts was a big business. He also said that, "Navy pilots are nerdy, not cool like Tom Cruise." It was difficult saying amusing things after that kind of information, but he made the last part of the ride very interesting.
RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
He's an architect and a Starbucks Manager and he will be one of the most interesting rides I have all year. He is probably the only rider I've ever had who ran with the bulls in Spain. He told me, "It was the most horrifying, terrifying experience of my life. I'm glad I did it, but I would never do it again." If you have never seen the legendary event in Pamplona, Spain, you should look it up. As part of a nine-day event, on average 2,000 volunteers are chased through the town by 6-10 bulls running at the speed of 15 miles per hour. He saw people thrown into walls and there was some blood in the streets.
I was impressed with his management skills also. He made a point of telling me he works only 40 hours and he doesn't understand why other managers work so many more hours. He's hired some good people for sure. He used to work full-time as an architect, but now only takes occasional jobs. He told me that his dad worked as a welder building the famous Ravenel bridge in Charleston. When his dad was helping take apart the two bridges that were being replaced by the Ravenel bridge in 2005, his dad kept a light from the top of the bridge as a souvenir. You couldn't catch me on the top of any bridge or running anywhere near a bull, but I experienced them through him while I was driving.
THE FUNNY BIRTHDAY GIRL
It wasn't just the birthday girl who said, "I am so funny." Her friend was laughing a lot and told us that once her friend made her laugh so much, "I peed in the dressing room at Abercrombie & Finch." The birthday girl was turning 28 and told me, "I'm unintentionally funny." As an occupational therapist working in a hospital she explained, "Laughter is the best medicine." She did show off her comedic talent when I said, "What do you say to your patients to make them laugh?" "I talk to them about body fluids-we have a lot of them in the hospital."
WHEN IS A RIDE NOT A RIDE BUT JUST AS MUCH FUN?
Last month I blogged about driving two cousins to church on a Sunday morning in Mt. Pleasant and it was a lot of fun. I took their picture and you can see it on the far right above the woman's head in the picture above. My big face and Lily, my mannequin are there with the two girls.
One Saturday this month, The Chapin Library in Myrtle Beach, had a big book event and I got to meet a bunch of readers and sold some of my books. I was very surprised and it made my day when a couple who lives close to me showed me the picture of the girls, because one of them was their daughter. We had a great time and I gave them the grand tour of my museum. It may have been even more fun than my ride last month with the two girls. (Just kidding girls, I know you're reading this)
How friendly and kind were they? The next morning I woke up to find the mom's text that they told the girls all about our visit and shared the picture. She also said, "The girls loved their ride because you bring joy and sunshine to all of your surroundings. They loved that we met the "best Uber driver ever" and that you created such a great memory for them and for us."
But, there's more! When I started talking with them, I was already talking with Chris, an Uber driver in Myrtle Beach that I did not know. He has his own YouTube channel, "CARGO JAMROCK" and he recorded my table at the library and my car tour above. He wants to interview me another time. He did a great job and you can watch the eight minutes below at this address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR4awSweGhk
This is a great example of how sunshine and kindness can be spread by many people to the benefit of all.
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