people forget that this industry is literally just a job. it doesn't define who we are. we get caught up in the romanticism of the whole job...we get caught up in the never ending struggle between the have and have nots. we forget that at the end of the day we...couriers, dispatchers, managers, and so on...still go home to a family, friend, pet. what am i getting at? we forget that we have more to our lives than this industry. i want to share a story about one of our drivers...i know, i know, you guys just love to hear about bike messengers but they are not the only ones in the messenger industry...
one of our drivers called to say he couldn't come in. he got some bad/horrible news. his daughter was in an accident...she passed. things like this happen in life but this isn't where the story ends...its never that simple. the driver...he's a good man. always showed up to work. was more than professional and courteous. well, turns out he had lost touch with his daughter long ago. for what reasons...i am not sure but it doesn't matter. things happen in life and sometimes we lose touch with one another.
he had spent the last 18 years or so looking for her. he finally was able to reconnect with her. he found out he had two grandchildren and could not be happier to try and reconnect. to try and be there for the grandkids even though he was not able to be there for his daughter. then...just like that...she was taken from his life again. i could not believe it when i heard it. it's like he was meant to see her again...life was simply waiting for them to reconnect before she would be taken. i got so choked up when i heard this news. i still get choked up.
well...the man decided that working as a messenger was eating too much of his time. he had another part time gig that could hold him over. he had decided that...this industry wasn't worth the time he was losing to spend with his grandchildren. you could tell that he regretted not being able to share his life and love with his daughter and he would not make that mistake with his grandchildren. they have a father but he wants to be there for their moments. their first "A" in class...their prom night...their first date...their first everything.
this happened early in the year. im not sure how life is treating him but i do know that the man made the right decision. family definitely comes first. i wished him the best of luck. not that he needed it...you could tell that the love he had for his newly found family would bring him more luck than one could imagine.
why do i share this story? well...for the reasons i stated earlier. sometimes we get caught up in the silliness of this industry. sometimes we forget that the end of the day we go HOME. like another messenger told me once..."with things like this all you can do is go home and hug your wife...huge your kid...hug your loved ones"...peace.
