I was on my way late last night after an event at work. I got on to a Black Cab and struck conversation with my cabbie Chris.
‘Is this going to cost more than 20 pounds? I only have that much.’ – I said sheepishly.
‘Well, it’s going to be in that range, Sir.’ – he replied ‘But don’t worry, I will get you home.’
The next 15 odd minutes were quiet. We were soon approaching the 20 Pound mark.
‘Are we getting close? I’m going to run out soon.’ (I had found an extra 3.5 pounds in change)
‘Don’t worry Sir. I’m not going to let you out in the rain. I will be getting you home.’
‘But..’ I began..
‘No no. That’s not how I do business. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to make
any difference.’
Having been screamed at by a cabbie before and been treated not-so-well by a few, this was truly amazing.
‘What’s your name? And how long have you been doing this?’
‘My name is Chris, mate. And I’ve been doing this since January 4th, 1987.. And I got bored of this on January 5th, 1987.’ he said with a smile. ‘No, I’m just kidding. I didn’t mind it for the 1st 6 months but since then it’s been a chore really. But I show up, I smile, try and be as nice as I can and really do my best.’
‘That’s amazing, Chris. And do you have family here as well?’
‘Yup. Me wife and 2 kids – they’re going to school now.’
‘And does this cover the bills?’
‘Yup. Just about. I still have to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s not easy with kids because they have expenses at school. And of course, the water bills, the electricity etc add on… but I love them more than anything else and they are well worth it.’ – he said with a big grin.
‘You know, Chris. I am greatly inspired by this concept called the Butterfly effect..’ I said. ‘It basically says that every little positive thing we do can have tremendous impact on the world.’
‘That’s the one related to the chaos theory, isn’t it. I believe that too. I really believe that by showing up and staying positive, it has a real impact. Just thinking positive thoughts changes the world in some way and hopefully positively impact some lives too.’
‘You’ve certainly impacted mine Chris. Thank you so much.. And I hope to see you around.’
‘I’m always around. And I will be on you!’ – he said with a smile and a nod as he collected the money and drove off.
Chris didn’t know that he would be the subject of this post. He just positively impacted me and inspired me to share this story to all of you. And before he knows it, this will have been read by a few 100. And if more of you like the story, the 100 will become a few 1000 or a few 10,000.
All this, thanks to his incredible attitude. This is a man who is doing the best he can do.. with no complaints and with the belief that his positive thoughts will have an impact.
Thank you Chris. You certainly inspired me..
(And now I wish I had taken a photo of him. I should make it a point to collect photos of all these heroes – the real heroes. Hopefully when I meet this great guy again..)
A Learning a Day 