The Lyft Passenger Who Changed My Life
As we crawled through city traffic, he told me all I needed to know about love and loss
As a freelance photographer, I’m always looking for another side hustle to get me through the slow times. About two years ago, I figured I’d give Lyft driving a shot. On my first day, I was nervous, and I drove out to the suburbs, so I didn’t have to figure out the app for the first time while also navigating city traffic.
I messed up my first pickup request, but I justified my confusion by explaining to the guy that he was my very first rider. “First one today?” he asked. No, first one ever. I got him to his destination, despite the navigation system giving me a wacky route. I think he felt sorry for me as he peeled off a couple dollars to give me as a tip. As the day went on, I made lots of mistakes, but people were generally understanding and nice. After I reached my self-imposed goal of 10 rides, I called it a day. Phew.
The next morning, I awoke dreading another day of driving. I sat in my car and said a prayer (something I don’t do very often) before pulling out of the garage. It was cold and rainy, just like the day before, so I had no problem getting riders—one right after another. I only had a few rides left to reach my goal for the day when I got “dinged” near a location I…
