My Favorite Riders in December

THE BUSH PILOT

I have had the unique experience of driving a number of people who have or had unusual occupations, and this guy in his twenties fits in that category.  A bush pilot is someone who flies a plane in dangerous or remote locations.  He told me, "I was a bush pilot in Alaska for two years. It may be the only place in the world it's safe flying ten feet from earth in bad weather." We didn't talk about it, but the average salary for a bush pilot in the country is $130,000 or over $60 an hour.  

He worked for a company with a bunch of other guys in a group of trailers and each one flew alone.  They would bring supplies, rescue people, transport people to hospitals and other missions like that.  This is a very common and important thing in Alaska.  He explained, "When you go to Alaska to be a Bush Pilot, you bring a bag of luck and you fill the bag up with experience before your luck runs out." 

I asked him what he planned to do after such a difficult and challenging couple years and he said, "I'm still trying to figure that out." I gave him advice that he needs to find something else that will challenge him and he should look back at his experience as a bush pilot as inspiration that he can do great things in his life. Getting out of the car, he said, "This was a great ride." I said to him, "I was just going to say the same thing."

LILY GETS A TIP

My mannequin Lily has been enjoyed by many of my riders, but this rider was very different.  As he got in the car, he said, "Who is this?" I said, "Her name is Lily and she's from Kansas." He laughed and said, "My last name is Lilly and my cat is Lillian." As amusing as that was, the eight minute ride got better. He told me that in his twenties, one of his best friends had a large mannequin from a department store and, "He used to dress her up all the time."  They called her Fifi and they were best of friends with her. He talked a little bit about Fifi and he definitely enjoyed the fond memories that he had. As the eight minute ride ended, he handed me a twenty dollar bill and I said, "Thank you, that's very generous." He said, "Yes it is." Getting out, he looked back at us and said, "I love you."  I'm not sure if he was talking to me or Lily, but I'm pretty sure the tip was for Lily.

WHO GAVE THE BETTER GIFT?

The ten minute ride ended with surprises. When she got in the car she was going to a friend's house and they were going to go shopping. She saw Lily, my mannequin, and said a couple things to her. She was amazed at the museum in my car and I went through all the countries with her saying several times, "This is wonderful." As we pulled up to her destination, I told her that my gift to her was my list of top comments of the year, which surprised her. She surprised me when she pulled out the above bill from Japan and said a friend gave it to her and it might be worth $500. I said, "I have to get a picture of it." She replied, "I want to give it to you. This has been a great ride. I just broke up with someone and I didn't think I would smile all day. You made my day, thank you."  I was going to give her last year's comments too, but I only gave her one list and forgot she had something in the trunk. I was stunned.

I'm still researching the bill. It is not in good shape, but the Japanese government produced this Philippines bill. It's invasion money issued between 1942-1945.  It might only be worth $5-$10, although I did see a bill in better shape going for $700 on E-bay.  It's a very old bill and it was very kind of her to give it to me.  She made my day with her gift. I'm sending out lots of good karma to her for a wonderful 2024.

SHE MAKES PEACE FOR HERSELF

She had a plan for the day, it was her day. It was still dark when I picked her up and she was getting a ride to downtown Charleston. The most interesting thing about her was not that she was a server, but she was going for a walk, but not just any kind of walk. She had been doing this for two years, once a week she had a similar routine. She sits down and gets some coffee and then she walks. She walks through the town until she gets hungry for breakfast and then sits down at a place and has breakfast. She starts walking and walks through the town looking at everything and has lunch when she's hungry.  At some point she stops in the afternoon and gets in an Uber to take her home. It's her day, almost always by herself unless she meets a relative in her travels. I admired the young woman for her diligence and persistence to have a mental and physical day all to herself. 

THE CONCRETE CRUSHER

A second rider this month had a job doing something I've never heard of.  His company turns old concrete into new concrete.  It's such a demanding and physical job, he said, "I've lost about 100 pounds in the last two years working there." He was off for ten days for the holiday and said, "I'm decompressing." He operates a machine that crushes the old concrete and he also is lifted 25 feet in the air and watches the crushing take place, making sure there is nothing that interferes with the process. It's loud so they all wear earplugs and there is some danger involved also. He had no big plans for the holiday, just some peace and quiet.

THE E/R NURSE IS JUST GETTING STARTED

She was in a hurry and running a few minutes late for a wedding rehearsal.  In her mid to late twenties, she was used to being under pressure since she was an E/R nurse. She told me, "I absolutely love what I do, I get to learn so much each day." She is very enthusiastic about her work and she explained that they need to keep nurses with, "Young energy" and good people skills.  She is engaged to be married and her and her fiance have decided to elope and and not have a reception.  They plan on buying a house in the spring and have a house warming and wedding party at that time. They feel it's a better use of their time and money. We arrived at the rehearsal only ten minutes late. We made good time and had a good time getting there also. 

THE ASPIRING MUSICIAN WAS INSPIRING

He was excited as soon as he saw all the bills hanging in my car.  When I showed him the Brazil bill, the country he left five years ago, he made my day.  As I went through all the bills, he asked me several questions about them and the countries, which people rarely do. His enthusiasm made him blurt out, "You're the best Uber driver in the world!" He has his own construction business and was just as enthusiastic about his work and being in South Carolina.  He said, "South Carolina saved my life. I can always get work and help out my family and send money home." I wanted him to ride with me longer; he was my favorite ride of the day.  He surprised me at the end by saying, "I don't have any other bills," and he handed me $10 and I thanked him.