My Favorite Riders in September

HOW MANY J.P.'S ARE THERE?

My last ride one Saturday this month was truly a great ride.  It was fun as I drove someone from Louisiana which has not been a state I have had represented in my car very often the past seven years.  By the time the ride ended, he gave me a picture of his family on vacation and several Mexican bills for my car which is pictured below with a few other Mexican bills and another picture

The truck driver had flown into Colorado to pick-up a truck and drive it to another state.  The truck broke down a few miles away in a remote area and he was fortunate to have someone give him a lift to a hotel. I drove him back to his truck and then to the airport and we had some good laughs along the way.

He told me that he puts orange juice in his Frosted Flakes and Captain Crunch.  When I asked how that started he said, "I loved orange juice and I loved cereal, what could go wrong, diarrhea?" I asked him why he is called J.P.? He told me that those are his initials and his dad is known as J.P. and his sister and two brothers and two of his sons.  They all have different first names, but imagine how confusing family events can be?

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

I've had a lot of conversations with riders that were filled with laughter, this was not one of them.  This was one the most inspiring and interesting thirty minute rides of the year and I greatly appreciated the young woman sharing with me her challenge.

She explained that she has a brain disability that makes her life a lot more challenging than most of us.  She has had a couple brain surgeries because her brain is too large for her head.  She was personal and articulate and told me that she is in school studying theology and its effect on illness.  Over the years she has been told by others that she should pray more and that is not necessarily the best advice for all physical medical issues.  She has decided to be a pastor and teach in the seminary.

I was inspired by her and shared some of the inspiring stories of my riders over the years and I think she enjoyed them.  I was taking her to a fundraising event for others with the same disability and I thanked her for riding with me and wished her the very best in her future.

SHE CLIMBED MT. FUJI

She had been in the Navy for around seven years and was stationed in Japan for over four years.  She said, "I loved living there, because there was so much to do."  She agreed that she loved the culture and the cleanliness which many people have told me, but she had a great experience climbing Mt. Fuji.  It is an active volcano and the largest peak in the country.  The group she was with took five hours or so to make the climb but, she said,  "It's the most exhausted I've ever been." 

SINGING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

My early morning airport ride was unusual to say the least.  I picked up three singers, two women and one man, and they lived in three different states. (California, Florida, and Texas)  They had just met each other and the night before they sang together at a wedding.  They work for an entertainment company and they get to pick out what events they want to perform at.  I asked them, "How long does it take you to get used to singing with new people?" They replied, "Not long at all, we have to know a standard 200-300 songs."  If it wasn't 5:30 in the morning I would have asked for the three of them to sing one line to hear how they sounded, but I'm sure they sing a lot better than I do.

 THE MEXICAN MANNEQUIN STORY

The Mexican woman told me this incredible story of the legend of the Mexican mannequin. She said, "In Chihuahua, Mexico there is a bridal shop with a mannequin in the window in a bridal gown.  It is believed by some it was the owner's daughter who died on her wedding day and she had her embalmed."  She died after being bitten by a black widow spider.  The mannequin  was put in the store in 1930 and it is so lifelike that some people believe she is real and that her eyes follow you in the store.