Namaste.
My name is Diana and I am your host.
Welcome to the Sleeping Beauty Podcast,
A podcast designed to help you fall asleep.
I heard an amazing story of patience the other day and it has stuck with me since.
It's altered the way I shape my interactions.
This is a story about a small random act of kindness that affected two lives in a big way.
A New York City taxi driver arrives at the final stop for his shift.
He honked and after waiting a few minutes,
He honks again.
Because it was his last stop,
He considers pulling away.
But instead,
He puts the car in park and walks up to the door.
Knock,
Knock.
He hears an elderly voice.
Just a minute.
He then hears the shuffling of bags moving across the floor.
And then the door opens.
It was a small woman in her 90s with a soft smile,
Wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat.
As she answered,
The taxi driver caught a glimpse inside of the house.
It looked as if no one had lived there for years.
All the furniture was covered in sheets.
No clocks on the wall and no knickknacks on the counters.
Would you carry my bag?
The lady asked.
The cab driver walks her slowly down the steps of the front porch to the cab.
And once in the cab,
The lady hands the driver an address and asks,
Could you drive through downtown?
It's not the shortest way,
The driver answered.
Oh,
I'm in no hurry.
I don't mind.
She said,
I'm on my way to hospice.
The driver and passenger shared a quick glimpse in the rearview mirror.
Enough for her to see his concern and continue.
I don't have any family left.
The doctor says I don't have very long.
The driver quietly reached over and shut off the meter and then asked,
What route would you like me to take?
And for the next two hours,
They drove through the city.
She showed the driver where she once worked.
The neighborhood where she and her husband first lived.
A furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom when she was a girl.
There were a few parts of town.
She asked the driver to slow down and she would sit staring into the darkness,
Saying nothing.
After a couple of hours,
She suddenly said,
I'm tired.
Let's go now.
And they drove in silence to the address she had given him.
When they arrived,
Two people came out.
As soon as they pulled up,
They must have been expecting her.
The driver opened the trunk to take out the suitcase.
And as soon as the trunk was shut,
She was already in a wheelchair.
How much do I owe you?
She asked,
Reaching into her purse.
Nothing,
Said the driver.
But you have to make a living,
She answered.
There are other passengers,
He responded.
And almost without thinking,
The driver gave the lady a hug.
She held on tightly.
You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,
She said.
Thank you.
He didn't pick up any more passengers that night.
In fact,
He could hardly speak.
What if that woman had gotten an angry or impatient driver?
What if she got someone who refused to get out and go to her door,
Refused to take the time driving around the city?
The taxi driver couldn't shake the feeling that this single moment may be one of the most important moments of his life.
So we treat our interactions as just that.
An interaction.
When in fact,
There may be an important moment waiting to be discovered.
This woman is not the only one to benefit that day.
One could argue that the cab driver got the most from their experience.
A life to live with that memory and that feeling of what he did.
The significance of that moment and knowledge of how precious life is.
I'm sure all this and more stuck with him every day after.
I would say that not every interaction has this level of potential,
But we'll never know unless we try.
So for this week,
I challenge you to take a few moments to find more patience with the people in your life.
And this could be by listening more intently to your spouse,
Enjoying a conversation with your kids,
Taking time to check in with a neighbor.
Whatever it is,
Give it your full attention.
Look for the lesson,
The opportunity to give encouragement,
Or often the most important.
Simply be present with that person.
It might mean the world to them.
Goodnight.
