This blog is written by Lee Gale Gruen to help Baby Boomers, seniors, retirees, and those soon to retire find joy, excitement, and satisfaction in life after retirement. Her public lecture on this subject is titled: “Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement.” Her memoir, Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class, is available by clicking here Amazon.com. Click here for her website: http://AdventuresWithDadTheBook.com
Now, on to my blog:
I was trying to download the Uber app onto my cell phone. It was a new learning curve for me, but I wanted to be hip like everyone else and try out the popular ride sharing concept.
I followed all the correct prompts on the Uber website, or so I thought. After completing my efforts, I received an immediate email from Uber welcoming me to their pool of drivers. They wanted all sorts of personal information such as my driver’s license number, insurance, and the like.
I have no idea what I did to become part of the Uber Drivers Club. Truth be told, I’d probably be the worst sort of Uber driver. My driving skills are okay, but nothing to brag about. My patience with the full range of personalities an Uber driver might encounter is limited. And, my sense of direction stinks.
After I was enrolled as an Uber driver, the problem became: how to unenroll. Apparently, Uber doesn’t want their drivers to drop out, especially before they even begin. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quit my new job. I finally gave up and figured I’d just remain on their roster.
Well, Uber didn’t like that either. They were not about to brook a driver who didn’t provide her driving information, and certainly not one who didn’t drive. I continued receiving emails from Uber insisting upon the sacred data. I ignored them, but they persisted–Uber can be very persistent.
They finally got the idea and stopped pestering me. However, I don’t know if I’m still buried somewhere in their data bank of drivers. I can’t help wondering if this type of snafu befalls others, too? Does it happen to younger people, or is it just us older folk? What did Uber say on its end after I bailed? Oh, another ditzy senior.
Nevermind, I do know that I went on to become a successful Uber passenger after a few upsetting mishaps (click this link and scroll down for my blog of March 4, 2018 “Uber et al” https://leegalegruen.wordpress.com/2018/03/.) I have even learned a couple of things from my Uber rider experiences. For example, I bought one of those handy dandy devices that holds a cell phone near the dashboard at close viewing range used by all Uber drivers while their phone’s GPS navigates the route. Now, if I ever do decide to activate my Uber driver status, I’m all set!
Always be willing to learn from your experiences. When you encounter a good idea, borrow it, steal it, claim it for yourself. Good ideas are good ideas, no matter where they come from, even Uber.
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Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we feel out of place; you know, that awkward, uncomfortable sensation because we don’t quite fit in. We try to adapt, but all we can think of is, how do I get out of here? It’s particularly hard in a situation where everyone else seems to know each other, to interact comfortably, and we are the odd man out.
Ah, Monet. We hung out together recently. That is, Monet did the hanging–on a wall at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, California, with me in attendance and in awe. As you can see in this photo, I failed to dress for the occasion–a faux pas as Monet would say in the French of his origin. Yes, I stressed primary colors that day forgetting that my pal Monet is definitely a secondary colors kind of guy.
I spotted this guy on a subway train with this huge drum. I guess he subscribes to the old adage: you never know when you might need a drum.
How important is it to stick to your word? I mean, what’s the big deal if you back out of a promise or commitment? I’ve addressed this subject before (see blog of May 14, 2018: “Keep Your Promises”), but this is a different slant.
I have written often on this subject, yet it keeps calling me back. I hear chatter, see ads, discover new offerings in this field. Yes, we humans fixate on our bodies. We find the parts that are not considered attractive in the time, age, and location in which we live, and we obsess about them. I’m too tall/short/scrawny/corpulent, my nose is too big, my hair is too limp, my eyelids are slanted, my ears stick out, my biceps aren’t muscular, my breasts are too small/large, and on and on.
Life can be such an adventure. Simple day-to-day activities can yield gold–unexpected finds and excitement.
Watson accepted the adoration of all of us gathered around him in the Home Depot aisle that day without changing his demeanor in the slightest. He inhabited his purpose in life: bringing joy to those he encountered. He didn’t become puffed up with his own importance, demanding of rewards or social position, manipulative, or any of the other things humans in such a position might have done. No, Watson simply remained Watson–a uniter, not a divider.
