statue of an angel

MAKING CONNECTIONS: My mother calls them angels

Today, I was stressed. I was running late for a job fair because my printer was jammed, and I needed to print out my resume. By the time it finally printed, it was too late for me to take a bus there, so I hesitantly called an Uber.

Each month, I look at my finances and tell myself I need to stop spending so much money. In an effort to do this, I delete my Uber app. This usually ends with me going a few days before downloading it again. So that’s where I was this morning, rushing to make coffee and trying to look as presentable as possible, while still arriving somewhat on time. I didn’t even have time to silently judge myself for immediately blowing my budget.

I was sitting outside my house waiting for the Uber when a huge SUV tore into my driveway. The driver had his arm hanging out the window, sunglasses on and shouted “Hello!” I immediately loved him. I love people who are full of energy as they enter situations, because that is the polar opposite of me.

I climbed in the backseat and the driver began telling me about how great his day had been so far. The weather was warming up and his only goal for the day was to wash his car. We spoke briefly about our jobs; he used to work in the social work field, so we were able to quickly relate to each other.

Sharing lives


taxi driver

The driver began telling me about quitting his job and what his life looked like afterward. He spoke about his divorce and his kids, and how his views on life have changed. He told me why he became an Uber driver. Driving makes him happy, and seeing new places and talking to new people is his form of personal therapy.

I was able to relate to that. A big focus in my life is trying to be happy, or at least trying to have more happy moments. I think as long as there are happy moments, it is easier to have hope. It’s nice meeting people who are openly searching for the same thing.

I find it really calming to listen to other people talk, especially people whom I probably won’t ever see again. It’s like a little window into someone else’s life, and usually a welcome distraction from whatever I’m worried about that day.

I was glad it was a long drive to my destination, because that meant there was more time to listen to this man sharing his life with me. He went on to talk about his struggles with mental illness that lasted for years, and how he realized that the only thing he wants is to feel happy. He told me that when his marriage ended and he lost his job, he learned how little you really need.

I felt that. I didn’t tell him I could relate. I didn’t tell him about my own struggles. I just listened. The only question I asked was if he found happiness and he said he had. He is content with his life. He loves driving, so that’s what he does. He loves talking, so that’s what he does. It really is about the simplicity.

The trip ended, and I went to the job fair feeling calm and light. It’s a strange feeling to learn so much about someone and then just get out of their car, knowing you probably won’t see them again. It’s like shutting that little window.

Angels


statue of an angel

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a small experience that felt incredibly important.

Today, it was my Uber driver, but it has also been the wonderful woman I sat next to at a meeting I was extremely anxious to attend. It was the girl at the bus stop who watched me sit down on a soaking wet bench and stood next to me, telling me all about her new job until my bus finally came. It has been the cab driver who told me of his time in Florida when he was a teenager, after picking me up from a very long night at the ER.

It has also been the young boy on the bus who told me the names of each flower in the bouquet he bought for his mother, ‘just because.’ It has been the older woman who asked me to walk her home one night, because she was afraid, and ended up showing me pictures of her grandkids the entire way.

When sharing these stories with my Mom, I learned that she feels this, too. She calls these people her angels. People you meet when you need them most, who make your day a whole lot better, and then they disappear.

It isn’t as if every time I leave my house, I have a meaningful moment, but I do believe it happens as often as it needs to. I don’t know if I find meaning in things like this because I am looking, or if some moments really are just meant to be.

Maybe when people are looking for connections, they find more of them, or maybe I just make more of situations than what is really there. Still, I appreciate it whenever those people come into my life, because my day gets a little bit better. My mother calls them angels, and I think that’s what I’ll call them, too.

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