Umans of Uber

Two passengers in two days told me stories of starting over. This is the first. “I just have to dig out of this hole I got myself in.” I am constantly amazed at the easy openness of my passengers. I recently dropped off Sharon, a waitress who told me her whole story in a six-minute ride.… Continue reading Starting Over, Part One

I’d had two fun rides in a row before I picked up Sandra. Two young ladies were leaving Paint Nite at Joe’s Crab Shack. One had come from Colorado to keep her old friend company after her husband deployed for six months. They had their still-tacky beach landscape canvases in hand. We laughed and chatted the whole ride like… Continue reading The One I’ve Chosen

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 Andrea was heading home late after a full day at St. Mary’s Home in Norfolk. She’s a nurse from New York City who has been working with the… Continue reading Unsung Hero

“I have confidence and I feel like if I have the goals and want to make a difference, I can do anything.” People like Dale and Dwayne are why I love driving for Uber. They had been enjoying themselves with friends and were a little drunk. Maybe a little high. I didn’t ask. But they… Continue reading Totally Lit

“All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be.” – Brené Brown, quoting her husband in Rising Strong Angela buckled her little girl, Anna, into a… Continue reading Doing Her Best

Jim wanted to go to Kelly’s Tavern at Haygood. Twenty-six years old, kind of stocky, sporting a few tattoos. And down in the dumps. At least that’s what it looked like. It’s hard to tell with guys (women are usually easier to read). He seemed sulky, but maybe he’s just introverted. And even if he’s struggling with… Continue reading A Matter of Life and Death

“You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”  Matthew 23:24 I had no idea how pervasively the f-word has ingrained itself into everyday speech until I started Ubering. I’m aware that I tend to run in a morally conservative circle where the dropping of f-bombs just isn’t done. We Christians tend to be… Continue reading Gnats, Camels, and the F-Word

The ride was for Wong at the Norfolk Sheraton at Waterside. When I pulled through the circle at the front entrance, I spotted him right away. He and his friend, both Asian, were in sharp suits with no ties. They were pulling luggage. Obviously heading to the airport. Both were on the phone. Wong gave… Continue reading All Business

The most striking thing about Dontrel was his voice. It came from his barrel-chest and passed through a sandpaper larynx, booming and gritty. Like a combination of James Earl Jones and Redd Foxx. A preacher’s voice. I picked him up from his large brick home in one of the pricier neighborhoods in Chesapeake. He was going to pick… Continue reading Dealing with Loss

When I got a ping to pick up Jesus* in the Pembroke area, I assumed it would be the high school junior by that name I had driven the day before. I mean, how many Jesuses can there be in that part of town? He was a nice kid who had immigrated with his family from Mexico… Continue reading What a Friend I Have in Jesus