It was 5:30 in the morning. Erin and I were headed to the hospital for my knee replacement, and we needed a ride because we didn’t want put family or friends out that early.
Enter a really great guy from Jordan, our Lyft driver, Khalil
Now, I don’t remember everything about that early morning conversation, but I remember how it felt. We were three people in a car, sharing stories, laughing, and enjoying one another’s company before most of the world had even poured its first cup of coffee.
We probably had different political views. Different socioeconomic backgrounds. Different cultural traditions. Different spiritual and religious beliefs.
And yet, for those few miles, none of that mattered.
We were simply three human beings, sharing a little time and a little kindness.
It reminded me Ben Rector’s song The Men Who Drive Me Places—a celebration of the ordinary people who show up in our lives, sometimes for just a few minutes, and leave us a little better than they found us.
We often think of the people who change our lives as the ones who stay for years. The family members, the lifelong friends, the mentors who walk beside us through seasons of life.
But sometimes, the people who make a difference are the ones who drive us places.
The stranger who holds a door. The cashier who remembers your name. The person who sits beside you in a waiting room. The driver who gets you safely to the hospital at 5:30 in the morning and makes an anxious day feel a little lighter.
We may never see them again. We may never know their whole story. But for a moment, we share something that is bigger than our differences.
Maybe that’s one of the things we need most right now: a reminder that we don’t have to agree on everything to care about one another. We don’t have to share the same background, beliefs, or circumstances to recognize the humanity sitting right beside us.
That morning, our driver didn’t just give us a ride. He gave us a little reminder of what it means to be human together.
Your Monday Caring Catalyst Challenge:
This week, notice the people who drive you places—literally and figuratively. The ones who make your day easier, your burden lighter, or your journey a little more joyful.
Offer them a smile. Learn their name. Ask a question. Say thank you like you mean it.
And remember: You never know when you might be the person who makes someone else’s journey a little better.
Sometimes, the most meaningful connections happen between people who may never meet again.
But for a few miles, we’re all in the same car.
