A Paean to Positivity… April 18th, 2018
Last week, I had the most amazing taxi ride.
As I stepped in, the driver cheerfully greeted me with a “Good evening, sir! How are you today?”
“Great, thanks! And how are you?”
“Oh wonderful, sir. Every day is a great day! I am alive and well. My family is well and happy. We are not dependent on anyone. What more can one want?”
That made me put down the newspaper I was unfolding.
“Wow! That is a great attitude!” I said. “Do you feel like this every day?”
“Of course! Why would I not?” he replied, with a happy smile that I could see in his rearview mirror. “I am doing what I want to do, and enjoying it. When I am done, I will go home and see my family, who I love being with. Tomorrow, my wife and I are going for dance classes for senior citizens, which we enjoy very much!”
By now, any weariness I may have been feeling after a full day’s work had evaporated. I felt a surge of energy.
“You have a wonderful attitude”, I said, “Just meeting you makes me feel recharged. What a great way to be!”
He glanced back briefly, flashed a smile, and then said something that I will remember for the rest of my life…
“I believe, sir”, he said, “that every day I am alive is a gift to me from God. I also believe that what I do with each day is my gift back to Him.”
I sat frozen as his words washed through me.
“I am not going to waste the gift He has given me”, he continued, “nor am I going to give Him anything less than the best I have to offer.”
“So, I relish every moment. I treasure every day. I use it the best I can.”
We continued our conversation, but the rest of the ride, his words continued to swirl in my mind. When we reached my destination, I thanked him.
“What an amazing approach to life!” I marveled. “Thank you for sharing this with me…”
He grinned cheerfully, bid me a good night and drove off.
As I walked through the darkening night, a sense of ineffable wonder and joy pervaded me.
“Every day is a His gift to me. What I do with the day is my gift to Him.”
I took a deep breath and smiled with anticipation.
