The best part of my day today was talking to the cab driver who drove me home at 12:15 AM, when I finally left the office. I wasn't really in the mood to talk (actually I was miserable), but he immediately got on my good side by asking if I was cold and then blasting the heat into the backseat for me when I said yes. Then he asked me if I worked in fashion? Nope, but he got bonus points for thinking that! He asked me a few other questions, and though I was not in the most conversational mood, I don't know how he did it, but he made me laugh. These were some the priceless bits of wisdom he shared with me:
- To find your spiritual partner, befriend the lonely. Because karma always comes back to you--and everyone in this big city is lonely or desperate or f'n strung out, so be kind.
- Care, but not too much. (He was referring to my job.) Don't do things to the point that you kill yourself... which led to his other point,
- Always be good to YOURself.
He went on a lot more about situational awareness, opening up fast-food restaurants and wanting customers who were f'n hungry, and about being a cabbie and getting to talk to f'n crazy people (including myself) in the city, but only for so long until they got out. He was this older, grizzled driver - who liberally dropped the f-bomb into every sentence, and kept taking his eyes off the road to glance at me in the rear view mirror (making me slightly nervous). But he was a careful driver, and so earnest, sincere, and slightly batty, that I couldn't help but feel my mood being lifted. So what if he was a stranger - I kind of felt like he cared about my wellbeing, if even for just ten minutes out of my lifetime.
Here's to you, Mark, my cab driver from Queens. You made my night.
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3 comments:
Oh my gosh, I don't think this post could've come at a more relevant time. "Care, but not too much" has become my personal work motto. I was here til 3am last night and I'm miserable. I want to BE Mark.
Aww Beau - hang in there! Don't forget you can call me whenever you are at work late - chances are I am too, and we can commiserate together. Move here and let's be disgruntled cab drivers together!
Wow... what IS it with cab drivers in NY? Once I was really depressed (yeah, you know when that was :)), and went out with Vahbiz and da GALZ.
In one of the cabs, there was a cab driver who talked JUST like Barry White. He gave the most sound advice ever, really listened to my problems, read me a POEM, and made me feel SO much better. I couldn't stop smiling when I got out of the cab.
Anyway, just wanted to share! :)
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