Ride share volume has continued to be half of normal. I’ve been struck visually this week that Spring has vanished. Riders have disappeared and so to have all the flowers. We’re 3 weeks into Spring and there is hardly color to be found. Mother Nature must have received a ‘Stay at home’ order just like the rest of us.
“Nature is wont to hide herself.” – Heraclitus
I must say, the Bay Area is taking COVID19 seriously. I haven’t had what appeared to be a frivolous ride since this started. What I am seeing is repeat riders. So of the 8 million people in the Bay Area that could hail me as their Lyft or Uber driver in any given week, I find I’m taking Kevin to his dialysis treatments 2-3 times a week, Renetha to her Security job, and Cheri has been a ‘no show’ for her scheduled ride twice this week.
People are also being careful. They’re wearing masks in the car and appreciative of the Hand Sanitizer that Lyft equipped me with. People are taking this seriously and the curve of new hospitalizations in California is showing promise. We have to keep it up!
We’ve still got plenty of race left so let’s settle in to a sustainable pace and see the finish line together.
EVERYONE is waiting on stimulus checks in hopeful anticipation. It’s hard out here and I’m seeing plenty of rocks in the economy’s river now that the water has been damned up. Navigating is getting treacherous – for most people.
Two days ago I had a younger woman in the car who works as a bar tender in the Jack London part of Oakland. She hasn’t been paid since March 8th … so 4 weeks without money. I could see the veins of tension in her eyes and hear it in her voice. As we pulled up to her stop, I grabbed a $20 from my wallet and offered it to her – a clear prompting I wanted to be obedient to. I think she was stunned for a moment, but I explained I had been blessed by a group of life long friends recently, who used Venmo to extend a hand to me financially, which has sustained me during this crisis…and this was a small chance to pay it forward. She accepted as both hesitated to touch our face and wipe the tears away.
We may be in isolation, but we’re never alone. Help your neighbor and if you’ve got to ride;
Ride confidently.
Driving the Daisy's 