How You Make People Feel

[Renee750il]

I found this in my e-mail - so worth sharing - such a poignant illustration of how we should treat each other:

THE CAB RIDE

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30 a.m.,the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.

But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This
passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice.

I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a
cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated".

"Oh, you're such a good boy", she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have
any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long. "

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

"What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse
that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner
and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm
tired. Let's go now"

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said . "You have to make a living," she answered. "There are
other passengers," I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind
me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in
thought.

For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had
gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important
in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT
YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

 

[Kase]

Awww *sniff* that was so beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing Renee .

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Oh my... *sniff*

That was wonderful. Thank you for sharing Renee. You just gave me a great perspective for my otherwise hectic and cruddy day.

 

[Buckshot]

Oh come on Renee, that never happened. That was just some story to make you girls all mushy.

 

[Renee750il]

Maybe . . . but it made the point better than preaching, didn't it?

 

[tessa_s212]

So true, so true. And the reason why, no matter the person, I try to give them at least 5 minutes of my time. Even the most annoying obnoxious people deserve a chance. Last night I spent about 3 1/2 hours talking over MSN to a freshman boy. He's not popular, he is fat, people think he's annoying and stupid, and even I find his cussing to look "cool" to be rather annoying, but I sat and talked to him for three hours last night.

I have friends that want to travel and make "big differences".. yet, what they cannot realize, is that you can stay right where you are and make that big difference. Right where you are.

 

[Renee750il]

Good grrrrl, Tessa . . . you know something that a lot of people never learn

 

[jess2416]

Awwww thats a great story

 

[bogolove]

That is a beautiful story. True or not, it makes a grand statement. I love stories that touch your heart like that.

 

[Whisper]

Wow, such a wonderful story. *sniff* Sometimes people need a reminder like that.

 

[GlassOnion]

Yah sometimes the simplest acts of kindness are appreciated, even if it's just telling someone hi.


We have an assembly once a month to honor any students who may have died during that month so we're all just standing there in quiet reflection and some girl sneezed and I told her bless you as a reaction.

A few days later another girl stopped me on the sidewalk adn told me that she recognized me from the ceremony and thanked me for telling her friend bless you as no one else did it and it made her think of God and reflect on the person who died and how she would feel and some other stuff.

It didn't make a whole lot of sense to me but apparently it struck a chord with her and made a difference to her.


A trivial act can mean a lot to others.

 

[Zoom]

Good post, though tearing up right before bed isn't quite what I had in mind tonight...

But it does make a good point and underlines why even though I might be having a bad day, I still always try to hold doors, say "have a nice day" and "thank you" to most everyone I interact with. You never know when that one small action will have a huge impact.

What's that car commercial based on this idea? Where someone sees a car, smiles and someone else sees the smile and it makes them feel good, so they do some small random act of kindness for someone else and it's a domino effect?

 

[Whisper]

But it does make a good point and underlines why even though I might be having a bad day, I still always try to hold doors, say "have a nice day" and "thank you" to most everyone I interact with. You never know when that one small action will have a huge impact.

Definitely. I always try to do that to everyone I come accross, even if they are in a bad mood. I make a point not to judge people who are cross because you just never know what's going on in their lives.

 

[Doberluv]

Where's the Kleenex? Nice story. Thanks for sharing. The book called The Tipping Point (excellent book) demonstrates how the smallest thing can cause huge things to change...how it works. This was not a really small thing, but by some standards it was and it made big, huge difference to the woman.

 

[smkie]

ok you did it i am all teary. Thanks Renee.

 

[Martine]

Thanks Renee, that's a good one, it really makes you stop and think (besides making my eyes go moist.)

 

[planet molosser]

Great story great read

 

[RD]

What a beautiful story. So very true. That's something that everyone could stand to think about more often.

 

[bubbatd]

Renee... I got that one as a pass on .... so true !!! Life's too short without giving a smile .. a helping hand etc. I've always felt that it is better to give than to receive . Does something to the soul . And, dear girl , you've given us all something !!! Thanks !!

 

[Muggie'sMum]

I was tearing up anyways - nine weeks tonight I lost my Angel, things were wrapping up right about now, I knew she was dying, lol, so a couple extra tears isn't much to sniff about!

This is so true - I work in an inbound call center and you would be amazed how grateful some people are when you spend an extra minute or two with them, being kind. People who have intrusive speech problems - stuttering and taking several minutes to get out what they are trying to say or people with language barriers for which we have no additional department are most often exceptionally grateful at the end of the call that you kept your patience with them and showed them a little kindness.

And I can say in return that I have felt that warm fuzzy and remembered several calls that made my day - in the wake of a horrible day on Friday, I had a caller who, when I asked "How can I help you?" said "First off, let's get the name right. I'm Armand, that's the masculine version of Amanda (my name)", and then proceeded to fill the next five or six minutes with inane chatter and random bits of useless information that made me smile, as useless information is my forte.

I also like to think I have 'done in return' for many cab drivers - for a while I was taking about four cab rides a day - between school and work, etc, and I always made sure to talk to the cab drivers, ask them how their day was, etc. It's amazing how people can completely ignore another BEING sitting right next to them or that they are serving, and not recognize them as being human.