I lived in downtown Chicago for almost 3 years. A taxi/cab only had 3 purposes for me; I was running late for work, it was too cold to wait for the bus, or I was too drunk/tired to take an hour on the subway and bus to get home. Call me naive or self-centered but it never occurred to me that people used cabs for any other reasons than the ones I had already come up with.
A good friend of mine recently started a job as a 3rd shift cab driver in the South Suburbs of Chicago. He has been doing this a couple of months now and some of the things he sees are so raw. This friend is also an ordained minister. He is someone who loves well and this is the best job for him. He takes people to and from airports, to and from bars and casinos, but also to grocery stores, hospitals and medical treatment facilities, and delivers prescriptions. He meets people from all walks of life. There are hookers, strippers, gamblers, drunks, and other addicts. There are "upstanding" members of society who visit the aforementioned and make threats if their identities are revealed. There are the elderly, sick, or both who need assistance getting around. My friend has experiences and stories with all of these people. Not every night consists of a life-altering revelation, but they all have their own merit and impact on my friend.
He has a blog with these experiences. Some are funny. Some are sad. Some make you think. All of them make you feel. I highly recommend you read Night Moves: Diary of a Chicago Area Cabbie Preacher Man. Read it. Share it.
No comments:
Post a Comment