I take Lyft as a matter of course for work. Mostly it’s a quiet and tame affair—the driver only speaks to confirm my name and say hello and goodbye, and the interior of the cars are clean, comfortable and unremarkable. Every now and then I get a lively and chatty driver, which I don’t mind. It makes the time go by faster and I always learn something new. But this week’s Lyft ride took things to a whole new level. I climbed into a brand-new, luxury Tesla, which the driver immediately pointed out and was very proud of. He offered me an iPhone charger and when I told him I had an Android, he whipped out an Android charger from an array of chargers and urged me to plug in my phone. He then offered me snacks, asked about my day, and gave me a weather report. In the back of the front passenger seat pocket there were two gold-plated devices that looked very much like microphones, and when I asked him about them, he said they were for Karaoke. Dude had a full Karaoke set up in his car! He said people coming home from bars love it. Upon further conversation, I learned that he was from a village in China where they had no electricity or refrigeration and his family were essentially subsistence farmers. Heating oil was strictly rationed, so winters were a cold affair. When he came to the US, he was shocked that electricity and heat is standard in housing. And now he drives a luxury Tesla with a Karaoke rig. He’s a happy, energetic person who loves his job driving. I hope I get him again. Joy truly is contagious.
Great post, Kristen! :--)