I attended the National Council for the Social Studies Annual
Conference last week in San Francisco. The city is a vibrant mixture of
ethnicities. It is the Melting Pot come to life. The best way to see this is to
talk to natives. I did just that as I travelled around the city in my down time
from conference meetings and sessions. I took Uber eleven times over the course
of four days. (What can I say? That city is filled with roller coaster-esque
hills). My Uber drivers taught me things about life while getting to my destinations. Thanks Uber!
Each driver came from a different background, had a different story,
and a different answer as to what we should see in our short time in San
Francisco. Robert was a young African American man with long dreadlocks who was
driving that day because it had rained earlier and he typically works
construction. He said tourist educate him as to what he should see in his
hometown. He had never heard of the Golden Gate Park and its hiking trails
before someone asked him to take them there. How often do we ignore those every
day things around us? Be a tourist in
your own town! Thank you Robert for the reminder. Mohammad was our next
driver. He was an older, Middle Eastern gentleman. He asked if we had seen the
crooked Lombard Street yet and when we replied no, he changed course slightly,
stopped at the bottom and allowed us to take photos before continuing on our
way. He didn’t get paid any additional amount from Uber for going out of his
way. (Yes. I tipped him for his kindness though). Mohammad didn’t want us to
miss an opportunity. Go out of your way for people! Gassan
was Pakistani. He offered a multitude of restaurant suggestions and told us to
try the Cow Brains at a particular Pakistani restaurant. (Um… No). His lesson
to me was small gestures matter when people are in need. When he picked us up,
I laughed and said I was glad he arrived before my phone completely died since
my battery was at 1%. He unplugged his phone from the charger and plugged mine
in. Small gesture? Absolutely. Did it make me feel better? Absolutely! He also
stopped and pointed out that cars disappeared as soon as they turned down the
street across from us. Once we had watched a few cars immediately disappear,
taillights and all, we crossed the intersection and entered what seemed like a
90 degree hill straight down. He took the time to point out that we were about
to experience something amazing so we didn’t miss a moment of it. Take time to let others enjoy the wonder of
life. Maximino, James, Hameed, Raed, Saghar, and Alex took us around town too
as pool drivers. Each was incredibly friendly, shared their time and vehicles
with us, and made me appreciate life in small town South Carolina. Raed was
amazed that we owned houses. He drives Uber to help pay his insane rent for a
room in San Francisco. What he pays for one room is more than double what I pay
for a house. He seemed awe struck when he asked how much our rent was and we
replied that we paid much less for a mortgage. Be thankful for what you have. James was a financial advisor. Alex
works in software. Saghar drives only on the weekends to help make ends meet,
not for extras but to make ends meet. We are blessed and we don’t even realize
it.
Thanks Uber and my wonderful drivers for reminding me of the important things in life!
