Almost two weeks ago, I had to take an hour and 20 minute Uber ride in Chicago. I sat in the front seat with the driver who happened to be from Nigeria. I learned that this was his side gig because he also worked as a nurse at a nursing home. We immediately started to talk about his profession because I had just left my father-in-law, Bill, at the hospital under hospice care.
As we talked, our conversation went from nursing, to religion, education, parenting, and finally to politics, I learned that he had lived in Italy, France and Russia and that he is the father of a 15 year old son and 12 year old twin girls. Also, he and his wife have been married as long as David and I.
I asked him a million questions and he just rolled with it. He was well educated, funny, and kind.
At the end of the ride, I almost felt like I should give him a hug goodbye. There was something about that connection that just meant the world to me. Just two people from two very different backgrounds who shared so many of the same thoughts and feelings about what was most important in life. How powerful is that?
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