Driving

Yesterday I had a pretty eventful driving day. I woke up to 10cm of new snow, the first significant snowfall of the season in the village.

My job consists of ferrying people to and from Whistler in large SUVs. The company I work for has transportation contracts with local hotel chains like the Four Seasons, the Pan Pacific, and the Fairmont. Consequently, the people I drive sometimes talk into their phones, reciting numbers that end in millions. They may be talking about pixels, bytes or light years, but that's doubtful.

I had to pick up three people and bring them to Vancouver, then scoot quickly to the airport and pick up four people and bring them back to Whistler.

I had to negotiate normal winter driving conditions like everyone else, but it would end up being slow going because everyone was a bit nervous driving in early season snow. I also knew my schedule was pretty tight, so I had to go fast when I could.

I drove in four-wheel drive mode most of the way down to Vancouver, battling slush and compact snow. I experienced my first four-wheel drift in the truck, which was interesting. The truck was never in danger, but was not tracking around this corner as it would have on dry pavement. I doubt my passengers noticed, but you never know.

On my way back, I picked up four college friends from Texas. We had a good drive, chatting about guns, football, ranches, rodeos, and illegal Mexican immigrants. They were a very friendly group, and when I dropped them off, their leader passed me a bill, which I put in my pocket. When I fished it out later, I found it was quite large...my first triple digit tip!

I have since found out that this person's family made a significant donation to their local university. The donation was large enough that the benefiting department's title now bears the family name. And, my passenger was standing in the official presentation press release photos. At first I thought maybe I was tipped the wrong bill, but now I can assume it was entirely intentional.

It can be a challenge for me, driving these affluent people around. I often find myself slipping into a mind frame that tells me these people are happier than I am. I need to keep reminding myself to be happy with what I have, because I am happy with what I have and where I am. It is important for me not to lust after these people's financial situations.

So, the big tip. What will I do with it? I think I'll end up spending it on groceries, since it's in my wallet and I need to do some shopping anyway. A bit of a let-down for the audience I know, but it just makes sense. In the event of another large tip this year, maybe I'll buy some bike components or new shoes. But not yet.