Our entire way of living and progressing as humans revolves around relationships.

I’m the person I am today because of the people I have chosen to surround myself with. Being able to live a life, as a taxi driver, filled with only first introductions and final partings, could seem extremely unsatisfying. But I think there is something entirely exhilarating about picking someone up without even knowing them and knowing that they are essentially giving you their lives for a moment in time. That might seem a little dramatic to some, but is it really?

Taxi drivers are given the chance to meet the widest range of individuals in a unique setting on a daily basis. Yes, being a taxi driver isn’t the only way to meet new people and listen to their stories, but that doesn’t make it any less special. For a certain amount of time, I am giving you the task of getting me from one place to another safely. That already sets it apart from most occupations that fit that job description.

Something so fragile as a first hello between two strangers can turn into a lifelong connection. That spontaneous moment allows for conversations to occur and memories to organically grow. Not every person you meet has to be special. A taxi driver can probably go days without making a connection with anyone they are driving. But there has to be one of those days that are filled with simple hellos and extraordinary goodbyes. Those are the days that I wish I could live in. Where small talk opens the door to internal opinions that finally have the opportunity to shine. Sometimes the easiest person to talk to is a stranger. There is not a more perfect example of a stranger than a taxi driver. Being able to talk freely leads to open and pure discussions. We should all search for those moments because unfortunately they are rarely presented.

I want to be able to connect with someone I don’t know and create something out of nothing every time I step out of my home. I think we all do in some form. The need to showcase my personality isn’t something that I’m comfortable with, but I have realized over time that it’s necessary for personal growth. Every connection I make alters or further strengthens my beliefs and opinions.

I can live my entire life in a bubble and hang out with the friends I already do have and leave it at that. We all don’t need to go out of our way to make new acquaintances. It's not forced upon us by some higher power. But for some reason we all seek these connections on a daily basis. The world needs these relationships. Not only to continue the progression of our human existence as a whole, but to further display our inability of being able to stay away from interconnecting with other individuals.

Under this context, being a taxi driver with the possibility to do this constantly seems like the perfect scenario. But from an outside point of view, being a taxi driver doesn’t seem too enticing as a career choice. If I didn’t hate sitting in a car stuck in traffic, I would definitely consider a career change. But it’s on the bucket list. And it will stay on there. If you really think about it, there doesn’t seem to be an easier way to connect with someone from a different walk of life in such a short amount of time, and do it day in and day out.