It’s only one week away – election day. Over the years, I’ve heard too often that people don’t vote because they feel their vote doesn’t matter; it’s only one among millions, so they don’t bother going to the polls. On the other hand, I know of people who have voted every year they were able, sometimes standing in long lines waiting their turn.
I spent most of my life in Cold Spring – at least 40 years of my life have been spent living there. During those years, I don’t recall spending much time waiting for my ballot in long lines. I can tell you that the elections I voted in were all run very smoothly.
I’ve always felt it is important to do my duty of casting a ballot during election time. I encourage readers of this newspaper to get to your polling place and cast your ballot – it’s important, and your vote does count.
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I first started working at this newspaper when I was 12 years old. I spent a little time working a couple of other jobs and purchased the Record in 1987. My last day working at the Record was June 18, 2021 – I turned 65 two days later and had already decided I would start collecting Social Security right away instead of waiting for slightly higher monthly payments. We moved to Florida on July 15th that same year.
It didn’t take too long before I knew I’d need something to do to occupy some of my time – and I knew the extra money would come in handy, so I did some searching and found my driving job with Groome Transportation. I absolutely loved that job and wouldn’t have stopped if I hadn’t been hit by a car in May 2022.
I wanted to get back to driving the airport shuttle, but since my accident caused significant damage to my left knee, I couldn’t pass the D.O.T. physical required for that job.
Since the beginning of 2023, I had started keeping my eyes open for other opportunities. A couple came my way, but they involved much different duties, including some I knew I wouldn’t enjoy, so I didn’t accept those offers.
Then, one day I was driving my golf cart to a store and had to wait for cars to clear where I needed to go. Among those cars was an SUV that had a taxi cab service name with a phone number. I thought, “What do I have to lose?” I called the company and asked if they were hiring part-time drivers. I explained my experience and was asked to go for an interview the next day.
The interview went really well. The company owner’s response to me after the interview was over was this: “You are exactly what I’m looking for, when can you start?”
Because there were some appointments I had already arranged, I couldn’t start for another week, and I was asked if I could be “on call” rather than be on a regular schedule. My answer was yes. I knew being on call and making myself available when they needed me most would make me important to the company. I also knew that the busiest time for the company would be from October through May, when all the “snowbirds” are back in this area. I started driving for the taxi company about a month ago, and I am enjoying it a little more than I did the shuttle job.
I find myself thinking that if anyone had told me I’d be driving a taxi cab to make a little extra “fun” money, I would have told them they were crazy. It just goes to show that life takes funny turns sometimes, and it’s probably best to roll with the flow. If you don’t, you’ll never know what you’re missing.
Have A Good Week!
