Uber Moments

On any given night, it's not unusual to catch a ride out of the local strip clubs. In fact, if it's a slow night, this is a treasure trove of interesting people. On one such night, I picked up Matthew after closing time. The first thing I noticed about Matthew was his physical challenges.  A young man in his late 20s, he walked with a cane and without the full use of his arm. I didn't think any more of it and just focused on the helping him into the car...to the extent he wanted it.  I swiped the app to start the trip and saw that we were going to have some quality time in the car.  The story that came out was one for the ages, and yet, I was left with the strong sense that it was painfully common. Matthew is a US Army veteran, deployed to the Afghanistan Area of Operations (AO). Several years ago, a roadside IED destroyed his Humvee, flipping the vehicle, killing his infantry comrades, and leaving him with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).   Matthew was med-eva...

Just typing the title drives tears streaming from my eyes and my chest to heave uncontrollably.  I can't explain why Oscar affected me so much, but I'm going to try... I had been driving for a few weeks and was starting my week anew, after a couple of days off. My first stop of the day was a new one for me and I was both hesitant and anxious, at the same time.  The rider's name was Oscar and his pick-up was at the Mayo Clinic in North Scottsdale.  I had an idea of what this stop might be, but was not prepared for what happened next. Pulling up to the entrance, a slight Mexican man introduced himself and climbed into the back seat.  At first impression, he appeared to be no different than most men of his nationality that I often see working outdoors around the city.  Oscar is 5' 6" and (I'd later discover) 155 lbs. He had a good head of hair and didn't show any outward indications of being a patient, so as I pulled away, my heart began to settle, thinkin...

My first rider was a young girl from the local community college. I couldn't have had a better first-timer. Anna was ebullient,  intelligent, with just the right amount of immaturity to be charming.  The trip was only a few miles from the college to her apartment, but it was perfect.   Anna had been in a relationship for a while and actually sought some advice. In those 12 minutes, I had an opportunity to tell my own romantic love story, and the lessons I'd learned from it, through the years.  She listened keenly and asked more questions.  Hanging on every word, she drew insight and perspective that she hadn't had before and I drew confidence and a boost to my own ego.   In that short ride, Anna taught me that there are still people who want to connect with others on more than a digital, 125-character basis. She set the tone for what would be my own renewal of faith in people. 

In January of 2017, I left a 6-figure job to do something that would make me happy. I wanted the opportunity to satisfy my customer, to live with a significantly reduced amount of stress, and to work at something that was more rewarding and gratifying . The money had lost it's significance in my work life, so the possibilities before me were endless. I had toyed with the idea of driving for Uber and even joked about it with friends, but when it came time, I was convinced that this was the new path forward for me. It was simple. I like to drive my car, I like to drive people around in the luxury it provides, and I liked the opportunity to satisfy my customer.  The last one is more significant than you might think. What came next was completely unexpected. In the early days of driving Uber, I was overwhelmed with what an incredible service this provided to the community. People from all walks of life are in need of a low-cost, personable, approach to transportation.  In a ci...