Since retiring and seeing prices rise for practically everything all of us need to survive, I found it necessary to find a part-time job, so I could make a little extra money and use it to help pay bills. Still, also do things we enjoy and need to spend money on, and not break our budget. The job I found put me behind the wheel of a taxi cab company that services The Villages (where we live) and the surrounding areas.
The job can be interesting for a couple of reasons…it forces me to learn the roads and streets beyond my neighborhood, and I get the opportunity to meet all kinds of people with all sorts of stories. It’s amazing how many people have moved here from northern states – mostly to get away from cold weather.
The company I work for makes many, many trips to the airports in Orlando, Sanford and Tampa. People coming and going always seem willing to share their stories: when they moved south, the reasons they are traveling, how they made their living when they were working – the list goes on and on.
I’ve given rides to people who have difficulty scraping together $20, as well as the very, very wealthy. The time spent in a taxi cab is a time most customers are willing to talk and share.
As hard as I try, it seems impossible to avoid political topics. Not too surprisingly, the community I live in is predominantly conservative and supports our current President and his staff. Once in a while, a more liberal customer will enter my cab, and I listen with interest to their political views and concerns. A recent customer told me he had been employed by FEMA for 22 years and was recently let go (he admitted his dismissal was because he did something wrong). He was concerned about how our President is making enemies with other countries by imposing tariffs. He didn’t think it was wise to upset our allies. After he finished voicing his concerns, I asked him what happened shortly after the tariffs were announced. His reply, “Well, Canada and Mexico want to sit down and negotiate.” “Bingo!” was all I could say – and I explained to my customer that getting those two countries to realize how nice they’ve had it all along was important. They also realize they can’t afford to strain their relationship with the United States, and negotiating was a step further than our country has been in a long, long time.
Another time, I picked up a 37-year-old male at one of Florida’s airports. During the hour ride back to the Villages, he surprised me by telling me how much in favor he was of what our President has been doing. I guess I was surprised because I assumed most younger people tend to lean toward the liberal side of politics. I admit, I was wrong – at least about this particular young man.
I drive my cab a couple of days a week, and there are never too many “dull” moments – although I will admit there are days when driving the “traffic circles” over and over gets a little tedious.
Have A Good Week!
