As soon as Ned (not his real name) got in the car I got this vibe that something was off… way off!  Ned seemed like a normal guy, he was a millennial, kind of hip… he was off to his job as a web developer. We started out with some normal conversation and then the conversation turned to his job.  He just didn’t seem to care about it (his job), he basically did not seem to care about anything in fact and he was really down about being 30.  What I was getting from him was he was dissatisfied with his work and in life generally… lots of negativity!   I finally had to turn to him (at a red light of course), and simply say “Dude, I don’t know what is going on in your life, but you have to make a change and find some passion.”

Ned started to open up and we had a deeper conversation about life and not wasting the time we have.  He was definitely listening and agreed that something was off with his outlook on life.  As we arrived at his destination, I turned to him one more time and I told him I have something for him… so I handed him one of my gratitude coins  and said that I usually give these out to people who inspire me, but I felt he could use one to help re-evaluate what is really important in life and appreciate what is good in his. 

The next day I received an email from him that he must have gotten off my blog, so I thought I would share this very personal message with you (and with Ned’s permission):

Hi Jim,

I had the fortunate experience of hopping into your Uber yesterday morning. I was the web developer coming to grips with turning 30.

I wanted to express my gratitude to you and the coin you’ve given me. I don’t think you’ll ever fully understand the impact that your simple gesture has had in shifting my perspective.

Such a perfect talisman for staying grounded and warding off the negativity which often invades my thinking.

It’s already helped me re-center myself during multiple situations and it’s only been ~40 hours!

I genuinely appreciate you and others like you who promote positivity. It’s too easy to get caught up in the inconsequential bullshit of modern life. Peace!

OK, I was not expecting this, and totally appreciate his kind words.  For me this was the best kind of tip I could ever get from a passenger.  Gratuity of another kind… Gratuity of the best kind!

Names & any identifying factors have been changed to protect the confidentiality of those mentioned

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