Monday, November 16, 2015

The Kindness of Directions

"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind.  But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions."
~ Chanakya

On my way home from an out-of-town business meeting, I decided to finally use a ride-hailing service (yep, that is what those taxi alternatives are called).  I have taken these types of rides with other people, but had never ventured into that world myself.  Feeling very competent, I downloaded the photo app and requested my ride.  As I was waiting in the lobby of the office building, a colleague was walking in and asked me what I was doing.  I told her I was waiting for my ride and explained that it was my first time using this type of service.  She shared that frequently the drivers go to the back of that particular building, so she took my phone from my hand and expertly made her way through the app.  She contacted my driver and explained to him how to get to where I was.  She gave him directions that I never could have -- "no, you can't go down that street, it's one-way."   When we were certain that he was turning onto our street, my colleague continued on her way upstairs.  And I continued on my way, grateful for her timing and help.

Interesting postscript:  My driver got lost on his way to the airport.  Yep, the app is really neat -- I could see the little car on my phone's screen going in the opposite direction from the airport.  Funnily enough, I would still use the service again.

No comments:

Post a Comment