One NYC interaction to remind you that there is still a lot of good in the world.
Per usual, I was running late to work. In a huge hurry, I hailed a taxi near my apartment. As soon as I hopped in the car and mumbled out my destination, my driver introduced himself as Singh and shared with me that he was celebrating his 20th anniversary driving for Yellow Cab. As I congratulated him, he clapped his hands. This brought the biggest smile to my face under my mask.
Singh explained that he moved to New York City in 2001. When he first moved to the city, he worked 10 hours a day. At night, he studied at a community college to get his chauffeur license allowing him to drive a taxi. After a few years of working for Yellow Cab, he was able to bring his wife and children to NYC from India. They now own house in Queens, and both of his children are in college studying to become doctors.
Singh never goes out to eat because he always brings his wife’s cooking to work. He proclaimed that the rest of his extended family is back in India, so he considers all of his passengers to be his family. If something happens to him, I am his family, and if something happens to me, he is mine. His passengers bring him joy. We discussed how we didn’t understand how there could be so much hate in the world because life is too short.
This morning I was particularly tired on my way to work. I don’t know who was watching over me, but they sent me this taxi ride as a reminder of why I’m here and that there is always good in the world.
