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Ever notice that it's the cab drivers that seem to hold the wisdom of the world?
I had to get to South Hadley for a 10 am appointment, and no actual ride, so I called a cab. Though the fare was rather expensive, the ride down with the driver and the conversation along the way was worth every penny. My only regret was that I didn't have more in my wallet to tip him.
I have never experienced a conversation that wildly tangential either. It started with just driving cabs, how much nicer they were to drive in Northampton than they were in Holyoke. It then corscrewed into quite a progression of different subjects almost as twisty ans meandering as Route 47 (which we were on). In order, from what I can remember it went from gangs warring over drugs, to gun control and what a sham it is, to respecting firearms, to alcohol abuse, to the military, to the benefits of a mandatory term of service, to how idiotic this current Iraq thing is, to how stupid people get into power with enough money, to how ridiculous the Iran Contra hearings were, to smoking, to marijuana, its legalization, what to say to your kids if you believe in its legalization but catch your kids smoking, to substance abuse again, to Wicca, to the definitive proof of magic's existance, to reincarnation, to how to handle your parents if they bitch and moan about the "demonic" wedding ceremony you're having with your partner, and how even the family memebers you don't get along with can sometimes surprise you by being in your corner. In the course of the conversation this man amused me, surprised me, taught me a few new angles on how to look at the world, and occasionally humbled me - there is so much I haven't really sat down and thought through and yet somehow have this canned opinion of. Though I didn't necessarily agree with much of what he said, he expressed his arguments in such an eloquent, non-confrontational way that I was content to sit back and listen to him explain himself. By the end of the ride, I felt like the universe, through all the suckiness of the weekend, had thrown me a gift, and one that was so serendipitously timed that I got out of the cab somewhat choked up. I'm still getting a little misty eyed thinking about it.
I got out of the cab this morning, and turned around to thank the guy for the random enlightenment. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Bob."
"Hi, Bob, I'm Andee. Thank you."
And thank you again, Bob, wherever you are.
I had to get to South Hadley for a 10 am appointment, and no actual ride, so I called a cab. Though the fare was rather expensive, the ride down with the driver and the conversation along the way was worth every penny. My only regret was that I didn't have more in my wallet to tip him.
I have never experienced a conversation that wildly tangential either. It started with just driving cabs, how much nicer they were to drive in Northampton than they were in Holyoke. It then corscrewed into quite a progression of different subjects almost as twisty ans meandering as Route 47 (which we were on). In order, from what I can remember it went from gangs warring over drugs, to gun control and what a sham it is, to respecting firearms, to alcohol abuse, to the military, to the benefits of a mandatory term of service, to how idiotic this current Iraq thing is, to how stupid people get into power with enough money, to how ridiculous the Iran Contra hearings were, to smoking, to marijuana, its legalization, what to say to your kids if you believe in its legalization but catch your kids smoking, to substance abuse again, to Wicca, to the definitive proof of magic's existance, to reincarnation, to how to handle your parents if they bitch and moan about the "demonic" wedding ceremony you're having with your partner, and how even the family memebers you don't get along with can sometimes surprise you by being in your corner. In the course of the conversation this man amused me, surprised me, taught me a few new angles on how to look at the world, and occasionally humbled me - there is so much I haven't really sat down and thought through and yet somehow have this canned opinion of. Though I didn't necessarily agree with much of what he said, he expressed his arguments in such an eloquent, non-confrontational way that I was content to sit back and listen to him explain himself. By the end of the ride, I felt like the universe, through all the suckiness of the weekend, had thrown me a gift, and one that was so serendipitously timed that I got out of the cab somewhat choked up. I'm still getting a little misty eyed thinking about it.
I got out of the cab this morning, and turned around to thank the guy for the random enlightenment. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Bob."
"Hi, Bob, I'm Andee. Thank you."
And thank you again, Bob, wherever you are.
